Pope Francis broke one of the Vatican’s “stained-glass ceilings” on Monday by appointing an Italian sister as the prefect of a Vatican dicastery for the first time. Here’s what you need to know.

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent, Mass in the Morning, by Colleen Dulle

How realistic is “Conclave”? A canon lawyer weighs in.

Pope Francis’ doctrinal chief faced criticism for synod delegates over his office’s lack of diversity, clear communication and transparency when it comes to the question of women deacons.

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr, by Colleen Dulle

A trip to Argentina shows not only Francis’ legacy here, but also the model of ministry that shaped him.

There has been an alarming lack of transparency around the work of the synod’s ‘Study Group 5,’ tasked with examining, among other things, the subject of women deacons.

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.

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time, by Colleen Dulle

The cry for peace and unity at the synod’s ecumenical vigil struck me as particularly moving at a time of war that has exacerbated the fractures between the three “People of the Book”—Christians, Jews and Muslims.