On the advice of his doctors, Pope Francis has “with great regret” canceled his visit to Dubai for the COP28 conference on climate change, the Vatican announced on Tuesday evening, Nov. 28.

In an exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell, Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny explains why Pope Francis will address the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai and what he hopes to achieve.

Pope Francis did not read the catechesis as he usually does on Sunday, but only recited the Angelus prayer, imparted the blessing and asked people to pray for him.

In an exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell, Cardinal Pedro Barreto rejoiced when the Synod on Synodality recognized the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon as “an example of synodality.”

“Newman’s theology of the development of doctrine enables us to be grounded in our tradition and open to ways in which we can grow in our understanding of it,” Archbishop Costelloe tells Gerard O’Connell. “That’s a key to this whole process.”

Pope Francis calls for an end to the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has continued a constant bombing of Gaza since the conflict started on Oct. 7 in retaliation for the attack by Hamas in southern Israel.

”It’s natural that the church is moving toward synodality,” Cardinal Garcias said in an exlcusive interview with Gerard O’Connell. “But when you say ‘the future,’ it means everything depends on synodality. I don’t think it does.”

“The pope’s presence at COP28 will be a historic event and without precedence in the history of COP,” Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam, a chief architect of the visit, said in this exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell.

The pope called for aid to be allowed into Gaza to help the tens of thousands of wounded Palestinians.

Cardinal Stephen Chow said officials in China “appreciate that Pope Francis appreciates them” in this exclusive interview with America’s Vatican correspondent.