The Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is not a "referendum" on priestly celibacy; it is looking for ways to provide for the sacramental life and formation of the people there, U.S. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston said.

Archbishop Marino comes to his new post with considerable diplomatic experience in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, including 11 years of service in three majority-Muslim states and seven years working in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

St. William Church in Louisville reaffirmed its status as a sanctuary parish at a news conference on the steps of the church Oct. 8.

All bishops' conferences and dioceses in Africa should create an office or point person to collaborate with judges, immigration departments and law enforcement to beef up efforts against human trafficking, said delegates to a regional conference.

Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, said the people who portray him as an opponent of Pope Francis are being used by the devil to help divide the church.

Proposals in the Oct. 8 morning session of the Synod included discussing the "possibility of diaconal ordination for women, so as to emphasize their ecclesial vocation."