Pope Francis called for overcoming polarization in the life of the Catholic Church in an exclusive interview with America magazine.

The appointment of Gleison De Paula Souza as secretary means that now three out of the four senior positions of responsibility at the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life are held by laypeople.

In his homily for the sixth World Day of the Poor, the pope advised Christians not to yield to resignation but instead to “seize opportunities” to spread the Gospel and help the weakest.

Pope Francis received James Martin, S.J., for the second time in private audience in the papal library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace this morning, Nov. 11.

“Even if you leave the ordination question aside for a moment, there is still a great need to explore ways of engaging women in all other levels of the life of the church in significant roles. There is still a lot of work to be done.”

In their first private one-on-one conversation, the president of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, S.D.B., told Pope Francis, “The church in Australia is alive!”

The pope will meet with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, at the interreligious meeting “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence."

“Jerusalem, especially the Old City with its shrines holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians, is like a powder keg waiting to explode! However, until it does explode, many prefer to simply ignore it.”

Israelis will go to the polls on Nov. 1 for the fifth time in less than four years. Will the elections bring any significant change in this divided country, or offer any hope for a resolution to the more than 70-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

In a surprise announcement this morning, Pope Francis has announced that the final, Roman phase of the ongoing Synod on Synodality will extend over two sessions from October 4-29, 2023, and in October 2024.