On Nov. 21, Ortega supporters tried to enter St. John the Baptist Parish in Masaya, south of Managua, the capital, forcing churchgoers to barricade the doors with pews.

“We are emphasizing through the synodal way the community and bonds of all believers—not the difference between clergy and laity. All of us are baptized and confirmed. All of us stand in the same mission to witness the Gospel,” Father Langendörfer said.

When Pope Francis embarks on his apostolic trip to Thailand, he will have the assistance of a translator: his second cousin, a nun--who has worked as a missionary there for the last 50 years.

"If Pope Francis is needed, we should add him.”

At the start of their meeting Nov. 11, the bishops raised pressing issues that included the priesthood shortage, gun violence and the need to provide support services for pregnant women.

On Nov. 12, the U.S. bishops elected Archbishop Gomez to be the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the first ballot.

Archbishop Gomez leads the largest U.S. diocese, Los Angeles, home to more than four million Catholics, and has been a vocal proponent of rights for immigrants.

"The South Sudanese people have suffered too much these past years and are awaiting—with great hope—a better future, especially the permanent end of conflicts and a long-lasting peace," Pope Francis said.

This interview first appeared in the Fall 2019 issue of In Our Time, the newsletter of the Dorothy Day Guild, edited by Carolyn Zablotny.

On the podcast “Know Your Enemy,” self-described Bernie Bros try to understand their political rivals on the right’s own terms, providing “a leftist’s guide to the conservative movement.”