With several of his cousins and their children and grandchildren present, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the Asti cathedral, giving a nod to his family roots and drawing people’s attention to the root of Christian faith: the cross of Jesus.

The inaugural Symposium for the Advancement of Catholic Health Care on Nov. 12 didn’t try to advance policy proposals, but it had a single message: Keep fighting.

“The church did not close during the pandemic,” Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, told the U.S. bishops during their Nov. 14-17 general assembly in Baltimore.

An advisory body to the U.S. bishops has called for the development of practical and pastoral guidance on gender dysphoria to help laypeople and clergy in their ministries in parishes, schools and other settings.

The Vatican is willing to do whatever it takes to broker a cease-fire and bring an end to the war on Ukraine, Pope Francis said.

Ukraine, like any nation under attack, has a legitimate right to self-defense and to seek justice, but great care also must be taken to defend the hearts of Ukrainians from hatred and a desire for vengeance, said the Vatican secretary of state.

Even though pushing for reforms in the U.S. immigration system has been a priority, “as we know, not much has happened,” Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington said Nov. 16.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced that this was the time for her to step away from the top leadership of the Democratic Party in the legislative chamber.

Pope Francis has named a Brazil-born husband, father of two children and teacher of religion in an Italian school to be the secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.

The U.S. bishops’ quadrennial document on Catholic participation in public life will get a tweaking rather than a wholesale update, but will be supplemented with a new introductory note, parish bulletin inserts, additional social media and video components.