Brian Fraga

A little more than two weeks after Pope Francis wrapped up the first of two major Rome summits on the future of the Catholic Church, the U.S. bishops will meet for their fall assembly in Baltimore Nov. 13-16.

People who hoped the first synod assembly's report would signal future momentous changes in the Catholic Church were left feeling discouraged.

Jenna Ellis, who served as a special counsel for a conservative Catholic-led law firm, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24 to a felony charge stemming from her efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss in Georgia.

Secular news stories, editorials and op-eds on the synod on synodality have both praised and criticized the pope's openness to changing Catholic Church teaching. 

"May the Lord bless you and the Madonna watch over you," Pope Francis wrote back to Stan "JR" Zerkowski, a gay Catholic layman who is executive director of Fortunate Families in Lexington, Kentucky.

For months, EWTN viewers have been told Pope Francis' synod represents a "hostile takeover" of the Catholic Church, or is a "moment of crisis." The influence of such statements has been profound, media experts told NCR.

The Catholic Church's canon law leaves firebrand Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, little to no room to resist if Pope Francis demands his resignation, several prominent canon lawyers told NCR.

In 2022, Columbus Bishop Earl Fernandes removed the Paulist Fathers from Ohio State, where they had ministered for some 60 years. A year later, the community stays connected while still reeling from the change.

The Paulist Fathers' vice president has resigned after he confirmed a woman's report in early August that he made an unwelcome sexual advance toward her. 

Bishop Joseph Strickland, the firebrand Catholic prelate from Tyler, Texas, claims in a new letter that an "evil and false message" has "invaded" the global Catholic Church.

Jenna Ellis, one of 19 indicted alongside former President Trump in connection to an alleged criminal plot to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, was a special counsel for a Catholic religious liberty firm.

The 2027 World Youth Day in South Korea will be only the second time that Asia has hosted the event. A Seoul archdiocesan spokesman told NCR he hopes young people from North Korea will be able to participate, either in Seoul or in a neutral venue.

More than 1.5 million young people attended Pope Francis' final Mass in Lisbon for World Youth Day, making it the largest event in Portugal's history. 

Pope Francis was visibly moved during a meeting of interfaith leaders at World Youth Day on Aug. 4, when a Russian Orthodox bishop thanked the pontiff for his efforts on behalf of Ukrainians, says a priest attendee.

Some teenagers and young adults jumped at the chance to attend World Youth Day in Portugal for the excitement and experience of being abroad. Others described an interior restlessness that drew them to Lisbon. Here are some vignettes from the world's Catholic youth festival.

Like millions of other Catholic pilgrims do every year, Pope Francis will make a stop at Fátima during his trip to Portugal this week. But don't expect him to mention any conspiracy theories or controversial prophecies.

Xavière Missionary Sr. Nathalie Becquart, an undersecretary of the Vatican's Synod of Bishops office, said at World Youth Day that she has learned how to be synodal "from and with young people."

While the primary aim of World Youth Day is to energize a new generation of young Catholics for the future, Pope Francis will likely be unable to do so without a serious reckoning with the church's past. 

Catherine Clifford is one of 10 non-bishop delegates from North America who will participate as members at the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops on synodality in Rome. She told NCR she sees the synod as "a real moment of grace."

The Vatican has launched a formal investigation of the east Texas diocese led by Bishop Joseph Strickland, who has accused Pope Francis of undermining the Catholic faith, the diocese confirmed.