“The synod is not a council. It does not take decisions as a council does. Its task is to discern, not decide,” one synod member explained to me.

Can I get an amen?

As a superior general and then as a bishop, the cardinal said he had attended six previous synods, and this is “the most diverse synod I’ve ever participated in.”

Israel’s Embassy to the Holy See underlined the need for the church to condemn “the hideous crime,” name the perpetrators and acknowledge “Israel’s basic right to defend itself against the atrocity.”

When Catholic same-sex couples seek a blessing from a priest, it often flows from a deep faith in God.

Before the Rev. James Martin, S.J., set off for the Synod on Synodality currently underway at the Vatican, he shared with “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., some of his insights for preaching the message of the synod in parishes.

As the death toll rises in Israel, Pope Francis prayer for the families of the victims and “for all those who are living through hours of terror and anxiety.”

The synod on synodality is not geared to “resolve particular problems” in the Catholic Church, such as the blessing of same-sex unions or women’s ordination, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa, Congo, said.

"The operation launched from Gaza and the reaction of the Israeli Army are bringing us back to the worst period of our recent history," the patriarchate, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said in a statement.

In the new podcast, “Strike Force 5,” Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and John Oliver all admitted to a desire for Holy Orders.