La Croix International

The Synodal Path is an effort to bring about serious ecclesial reform in light of the clergy sex abuse crisis, but some Catholics in Bavaria wonder if the church in Germany can survive.

The Holy See instructed the Heralds of the Gospel to close the boarding schools the order operates in Brazil. The Vatican's aim is to protect the students from the high risk of psychological and sexual violence.

Root and Branch Inclusive Synod is a lay-led initiative aiming to re-define ministry by restating that a clerical hierarchy that claims a monopoly of judgment is counter to the teaching of the Gospels.

L'Osservatore Romano has published a very personal reflection on Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a self-described feminist writer from Nigeria who has become one the world's most prominent young Anglophone authors.

The Archdiocese of Dijon, France, has asked the traditionalist Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter to leave for refusing to concelebrate Mass according to the post-Vatican II rite.

The new archbishop of Avignon, the 14th century seat of the papacy, must heal a serious crisis of confidence left by a predecessor who was in place for nearly two decades.

The Catholic Church enjoyed a bit of a renewed honeymoon with the global media after the May 21st announcement of the "synodal process 2021–2023." But the love fest lasted only about a week.

The Vatican's program is called "WASH" and is being carried out in 23 developing countries. The goal is to identify all the problems that Catholic-run health centers face in accessing water.

Commentary: This global synodal process is not only ambitious, it is also risky because of its different phases — local, national/continental and central — that will highlight the radical differences in local churches.

For the second consecutive year, a nationwide "Preacher's Day" in Germany pushes for Catholic women to be allowed to give homilies during Mass.

Commentary: A key factor for the future of synodality is the relationship between Christianity and the different social and political traditions around the world, in a community as global as the Catholic Church today.

Commentary: Synodality is the biggest wager Pope Francis has made for the Catholic Church. But if it is to be a key aspect of Catholicism, we need to keep in mind that at some point, there will be another pope.

The Catholic bishops of France have decided to create an "interdiocesan canonical criminal court" on a national scale. The project is seen as part of the overall response to the crime of the sexual abuse of minors.

Commentary: Conservative bishops and their allies, especially in the United States, continue to overshadow their more progressive confreres in putting forth a vision for the Catholic Church.

A coffee farmer in the Mexican state of Chiapas follows in the footsteps of his deacon-father by teaching Sunday catechism classes in his mountain village.

Recent events at the ecumenical community of Bose in northern Italy illustrate the difficulty of passing the torch to the next generation in communities born in the wake of Vatican II.

Commentary: Pope Francis' push for synodality inside the Church coincides chronologically with the rise of populist leaders and the crisis of democracy on the outside.

Numerous Catholic bishops from around the world have publicly denounced the Vatican's recent statement forbidding Church blessings for same-sex couples, calling the move "unacceptable," hurtful and clumsy.