The Vatican and the Chinese government are renewing their agreement on the appointment of bishops for four years.

Around 100 synod delegates filed into the Vatican’s old synod hall yesterday afternoon seeking answers about the secretive Vatican-instituted study group that had, among other issues, been tasked with looking into the possibility of ordaining women deacons.

Confusion at this stage in the synod may not be a bad thing. As Pope Francis has often said, the Holy Spirit first creates confusion and then brings harmony.

On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle is joined by Laurence Gien, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse spoke about his experience as part of a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 1, 2024.

Pope Francis asked that the cardinals embody “the three attitudes with which an Argentinean poet—Francisco Luis Bernárdez—once characterized Saint John of the Cross,” namely: “eyes raised, hands joined, feet bare.”

Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy focused their discussion on the repatriation of Ukrainian nationals held in Russian captivity.