Parishes and dioceses must move quickly to give life to the consultative bodies and broad participation in mission and ministry already foreseen by church law if the Catholic Church is to have any hope of becoming a more “synodal” church, members of the Synod of Bishops said.

After members of the Synod of Bishops approved their final document, Pope Francis announced that he would not write the customary post-synodal apostolic exhortation but would offer the final document to the entire church to implement.

After Vice President Kamala Harris said she does not think “concessions” should be made on codifying abortion protections, some pro-life activists expressed concern that a potential Harris administration would not implement religious exemptions to abortion policy.

For Catholics still discerning their 2024 U.S. presidential election vote, environmental issues may not be among their top concerns — but, say climate experts, they should be.

A filmmaker and graduate of Miami Catholic schools with a new documentary film about Guatemalan-Mayan immigration to the U.S. said her project brought clarity to her own immigrant history as a Venezuelan American.

After a two-day trip to Ukraine Oct.19-20, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore said that U.S. Catholics must thoughtfully consider the implications of recent escalations in the region without succumbing to polarized political discourse.

Catholics in the Diocese of Rome must come up with concrete projects to help the tens of thousands of poor people who live in the city and must ensure religious education classes teach the social doctrine of the church, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church must take concrete steps — and soon — to recognize and empower women’s leadership and ministry in the church, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, told members of the Synod of Bishops.

The countdown has begun for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral throughout the weekend of Dec. 7-8. As the last pieces of scaffolding are being removed on the outside, Culture Minister Rachida Dati has proposed introducing an entrance fee to visit Notre Dame, which has caused a stir.

Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican’s publishing house, has granted Word on Fire the exclusive English-language rights to translate and publish the collected works of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which were written in the late pope’s native German.