ncouraging greater “synodal” practices in the Catholic Church should help the church find a greater balance between the power of the pope and the power of local bishops in their dioceses, said theologians participating in the Synod of Bishops.

Members of the synod on synodality are only moving along the paths where there is consensus, said a group of theologians assisting the synod.

Pope Francis will create 21 new cardinals, including the Toronto prelate, at a consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica the afternoon of Dec. 7 and present them with their red hats.

Each year, churches around the world commemorate World Mission Sunday to highlight, encourage and promote the Catholic Church’s missions around the world.

The naming of a Japanese atomic bomb survivors group as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient is “fitting … during this time of heightened geopolitical tension,” said Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, N.M., who has traveled to Japan on several peace pilgrimages and also released a 2022 pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament.

Polls show a tight contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in the final stretch of the 2024 campaign season.

The archbishop of Paris spoke out in favor of freedom of Catholic education in France, amid weeks of tensions and protests after the principal of a Catholic school was fired by the state school-supervising body for “breaching secularism.”

The faithful will know how to avoid being swayed by worldly standards and concerns when they believe and trust more deeply that Jesus and the Holy Spirit will always help and guide them, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico City told participants at the Synod of Bishops.

The best theological study and research are inspired by prayer that is attuned to the realities around the theologian, so in Sicily theology should address issues related to the Mafia and about migrants drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, Pope Francis said.

An Italian publisher announced the global release in January of “Hope,” a book it described as Pope Francis’ autobiography, which the pope apparently planned to have released only after his death.