Catholic News Service

A Vatican diplomat in southern Africa warned that deprivation and poverty among the laity could obstruct Pope Francis' vision of synodality in the region, where the challenges are widespread.

Biological engineering, such as gene therapy for treating human disease, is making such swift advancements that the public's knowledge and understanding of what is happening and what ethical and legal guidelines are needed are lagging too far behind, said speakers at a Vatican conference.

The Supreme Court begins its new term Oct. 3, jumping right back into the fray with cases that take on affirmative action, voting, immigration, the environment and freedom of speech.

Australian Archbishop Mark Coleridge will conduct an investigation into retired Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome, using a process established by Pope Francis in 2019.

A new economic model must be "an economy of friendship with the earth and an economy of peace," the pope said at the closing session of the Economy of Francesco event in Assisi.

"There has been six months of extreme weather and climate chaos" in Pakistan ahead of a historic monsoon season that has led to levels of destruction "hard to comprehend," said Columban Fr. Liam O'Callaghan.

Marking the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis called on everyone to work together to build a more inclusive and fraternal future.

One cannot love and worship the Eucharist without compassion for the poor and marginalized, Pope Francis said at a Mass concluding Italy's eucharistic congress.

A judge issued a preliminary injunction Sept. 22 on a new Indiana abortion law that gives legal protection to most unborn babies.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Vatican News reported.

The bishops' conference of Chad has withdrawn from the Inclusive National Dialogue organized by the military government, saying it was "controlled by group interests" and failed to ensure genuine discussion.

As the October deadline approaches for the extension of the Vatican's agreement with the Chinese government, the newly appointed editor of the news agency of the Dicastery for Evangelization said the deal has been instrumental in allowing Catholics to practice their faith openly and in communion with the church.

Financial consultants, managers and experienced professionals can help remedy today's economic, environmental and social crises, and help create a more humane, just and fraternal world, Pope Francis said.

A senior Russian priest dismissed President Vladimir Putin's threats of nuclear war as "just words," but said many young Catholics now fear being forcibly conscripted with their priests to join the war against Ukraine.

When reflecting on and teaching about St. Thomas Aquinas or any of the great theologians or philosophers, there is a danger of using the master to promote one's own thought, Pope Francis said.

A religious community must make sure its economic activity serves its mission, fulfills its charism and never becomes an end in itself, Pope Francis told members of the Norbertine order.

Archbishop Roberto González Nieves said he expected Catholic schools in the most affected areas to be closed for weeks and expressed concern for the hurricane's impact on the southern and western parts of the island.

Marking World Alzheimer's Day Sept. 21, Pope Francis asked people to pray for all those affected by the illness, including families and caregivers.

During a U.N. education summit, the Vatican's secretary of state reiterated Pope Francis' pre-pandemic call that education is "one of the most effective ways of making our work and history more human."

As Hurricane Fiona swept across the Caribbean, leaving behind numerous victims and material destruction, Pope Francis called for greater solidarity in assisting all those affected.