Christopher White

The Vatican summit on the future of the church concluded on Oct. 28 by postponing action on ordaining women as deacons and failing to acknowledge deep tensions over how to care for LGBTQ Catholics.

View from the Vatican: It was less than two weeks into the synod on synodality when  multiple reports emerged about participating delegates storming out of the room. Tensions, it seems, are part of the synod process. 

The Oct. 25 "Letter to the People of God" from the ongoing Synod of Bishops highlights the significance of women participating in the event as full members, and the duty of the church to listen to clergy abuse victims.

Listen: In this episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Vatican experts Joshua McElwee and Christopher White have an exclusive conversation with Cardinal Michael Czerny about the ongoing Synod of Bishops.

As Pope Francis' major summit on the future of the Catholic Church enters its final week, bishops and laity were reminded of the Second Vatican Council's emphasis on the church's "living tradition," including the participation and inclusion of all of the "people of God."

Listen: In a special episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Joshua McElwee and Christopher White have an exclusive conversation with Loretto Sr. Jeannine Gramick about her Oct. 17 meeting with Pope Francis. Gramick says the pope "is trying to get us to move forward."

Participants in a closely watched ongoing Vatican summit heard testimony about a young LGBTQ person who committed suicide and were provoked to tears, Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe revealed on Oct. 18. 

In an exclusive NCR interview, Australian Bishop Shane Mackinlay, one of the 13 members of the committee drafting the final document from the ongoing synod, expressed an openness to ordaining women as deacons.

The second week of Pope Francis' summit on the future of the Catholic Church included emotional debates among bishops and lay delegates over whether ministries could be expanded to include LGBTQ persons. 

View from the Vatican: In many ways, the story of Pope Francis' synod on synodality is best told through images. In fact, it's actually one of the only ways it can be told.

As Pope Francis' high-stakes summit on the future of the Catholic Church entered its second week on Oct. 9, the some 460 participating bishops and lay members considered how the church might provide greater welcome to all of its members. They also were given news of four COVID infections among their ranks.

A Catholic cardinal who is a former head of the Vatican's doctrinal office and a vocal critic of Pope Francis' ongoing monthlong summit on the future of the church has defied the pontiff's request that summit members maintain confidentiality about its proceedings.

Pope Francis on Oct. 4 released a new document taking direct aim at climate change deniers and castigating Western nations, particularly the United States, for "irresponsible lifestyle[s]" causing irreparable harm to the planet.

Officially opening the monthlong Synod of Bishops on Oct. 4, Pope Francis encouraged the participants, bishops and laypeople alike, to reject the temptations of doctrinal rigidity and to embrace a vision of the church that is open and welcoming to all.

As part of NCR's new podcast, The Vatican Briefing, one of the voting members of the Synod of Bishops has indicated an openness to restoring the early Catholic Church's tradition of ordaining women as deacons.

Pope Francis has expressed openness to Catholic blessings for same-sex couples, under the condition they are not confused with marriage ceremonies for men and women, in what could be a watershed moment for the church.

Members of the Synod of Bishops are taking part in a retreat led by Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe. Themes include clericalism; better inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics; the role of women in the church; and clergy sexual abuse.

Pope Francis on Sept. 30 elevated 21 Catholic prelates, including the Vatican's U.S. ambassador, to the rank of cardinal. In a homily in St. Peter's Square, the pope told the new cardinals they should not be defined by past traditions.

Pope Francis' ambassador to the U.S. Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre admonished Catholic bishops who claim to adhere to papal authority, while at the same time openly criticizing the current pontiff. 

Cardinal Mario Grech of Malta stands at the center of the pope's plan to change the global Catholic Church. As he prepares to open the synod assembly, Grech told NCR he has "a free heart" about what is to come.