In opening the work of the Synod of Bishops at the First Assembly, Pope Francis has repeated what he has said many times that “the synod is not a parliament” where the ideas of opposing parties will be debated and voted up or down along party lines.

The Holy Father acknowledged that some people have fears about the Synod, but he asked them to remember that it is “not a political gathering, but a convocation in the Spirit; not a polarised parliament, but a place of grace and communion.”

Reports on the discussions, voted on in each working group to ensure they accurately reflected the work of the group, were shared with the entire Assembly on 6 October followed by individual remarks made to the assembly, each expected to last about three minutes.

The new Apostolic Exhortation, addressed “to all people of good will on the climate crisis,” is a follow-up to “clarify and complete” his 2015 encyclical because, he wrote, over the past eight years, “our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”

Seated before the San Damiano cross, in front of which St Francis of Assisi said he heard Jesus tell him to “rebuild my church,” Pope Francis prayed that “the synod be a ‘kairos’ (moment) of fraternity, a place where the Holy Spirit will purify the church from gossip, ideologies and polarization.”

Pope Francis meets with a delegation of the Latin American Council of the Research and Training Center for the Protection of Minors at the Vatican 25 September 2023, 2023. Photo: CNS/Vatican Media. By Justin McLellan Child pornography is "criminality available to everyone through their phones," Pope Francis said. Discussing abuse prevention with representatives of a safeguarding resea...

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has this week issued a statement on the Vatican investigation into Broome Emeritus Bishop Christopher Saunders.

“Forgiving is not, therefore, a good deed that we can choose to do or not do: forgiving is a fundamental condition for those who are Christians,” Pope Francis has said, speaking Sunday 17 September. “By forgiving one another, we can bear witness (to God), sowing new life around us.”

The news conference with updates about the synod — how it will work and what reporters can expect — came just a few days after Pope Francis had told journalists aboard his flight from Mongolia that the discussions at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops 4 to 29 October will not be open to the public or to reporters to “safeguard the synodal climate.”

Supported by Catholic Mission, the House of Mercy is a social centre that will provide support for women and minors who are victims of domestic violence, a safe place for people suffering from homelessness, and a welcoming place for migrants.