Recognizing the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences does not mean allowing them to reject the teaching authority of the pope, said the head of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops.

Pope Francis met with a group of transgender and intersex Catholics, along with LGBTQ+ allies and a medical doctor specializing in transgender healthcare, during a nearly 90-minute audience at his residence.

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.

When Catholics in the global North are “obsessed” with the issue of women’s ordination, “women who in many parts of the church and world are treated as second-class citizens are totally ignored,” Bishop Anthony Randazzo said.

“Those who arrogantly claim to have the exclusive right to hear the voice of the Lord cannot hear it,” Pope Francis said at the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality.

On Aug. 27, 2024, Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen was officially recognized as the bishop of the Diocese of Tianji, after the Chinese government refused to recognize him for five years.

“Right now, Christians, Jews and Muslims cannot meet with one another, at least not publicly,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, patriarch of Jerusalem.

Drawing on work of lay Catholic prison chaplain Dale Recinella, Pope Francis paints death penalty as toxic and ineffective.

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández declared that the Vatican will only validate reports of Marian apparitions in “exceptional” cases that incur the special interest of the pope.