St. John's Catholic Church

Parish-based Trinity House Community Groups are now active in 25 parishes in nine states, including 12 parishes within the Diocese of Arlington. Each parish pays an annual subscription cost to gain access to the turnkey program (videos, discussion questions, handouts, core team guides). Most of the gatherings take place on Saturday evenings in the parish hall, following the anticipatory Mass, and last 90 minutes. Many of the groups (also called "Heaven in Your Home Gatherings") are 50-70 attendees, but some are as large as 125 or more. / Credit: Courtesy of Soren and Ever Johnson/Trinity House Community Group

CNA Staff, Oct 7, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Parental stress was cited as a public health challenge by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who noted in a Health and Human Services (HHS) advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents in late summer that parental stress is at an all-time high.  

Forty-one percent of parents say that most days they are too stressed to function, while 48% of parents say their stress is “completely overwhelming,” according to a 2023 study by the American Psychological Association 2023, which the HSS cited in its August advisory. 

In contrast, only 26% of other adults mark that they are this stressed.

“Something has to change,” Murthy wrote in the forward of the U.S. surgeon general’s advisory. Supporting parents “will require us to rethink cultural norms around parenting.”

Catholic leaders and those who minister to parents and families have also noticed this trend and are striving to address the lack of community and the stress that parents too often face. 

Catholic psychotherapist, author, and founding director of the Pastoral Solutions Institute Dr. Greg Popcak has noticed the crisis in his own work. 

“Parents in general are lonely and isolated,” he told CNA. “They’re cut off from the support that was traditionally offered by their families of origin and they’re completely overscheduled. The modern family is characterized by choosing activity over intimacy, which makes everyone — parents and kids — grumpy, lonely, and stressed and miserable.” 

Ever Johnson, who with her husband, Soren Johnson, directs Trinity House Community Groups, a Catholic resource designed to help parents build faith and community for their families, agrees.

“Families are overwhelmed often with both parents working and the demands of kids’ schooling and extracurriculars,” she told CNA. “Social media and the atrophy of faith-filled community further contributes to a sense of FOMO [fear of missiing out], anxiety, and stress.”

Catholic middle school teacher Anne Marie Di Geronimo has observed a similar phenomenon among parents she encounters in her work.

“We’re seeing some of the ill effects that the internet has wrought,” Di Geronimo said. “All of these trains have crashed for parents, many of whom feel stressed and put a lot of pressure on themselves to prepare their kids for what they see as a more challenging future than what I faced. It’s harder to get a good-paying job. It’s harder to get into a college than it used to be.” 

Combating parental anxiety 

Di Geronimo, who teaches at St. Anne School in San Francisco, assigns a once-a-month homework activity designed to help students be more independent and parents to feel more comfortable taking a step back. 

The premise is simple: for homework, a student must try something new without the help of his or her parents (but with their permission). The result: parents can be less involved and kids can gain more independence and resilience. 

“When parents can step back, then they can allow their kids to take these small, measured risks while they’re still at home with supervision and support, then the parents can do less for the kids, while the kids can do more at home,” Di Geronimo said. “These kinds of experiences really grow their confidence.”

Di Geronimo noted that parents sometimes “feel that they have to do so much to enrich, to teach, to prepare” their kids.

“Sometimes it crosses over into enmeshment for parents, or doing too much,” she added. 

The independence homework assignment is part of a program called Let Grow, which offers free educational materials that are designed to help students become more independent and therefore less anxious. 

Lenore Skenazy, author of “Free Range Kids” and president of Let Grow, said that parents need to see their kids being independent just as much as the kids need to become independent. 

It’s a “national program to rewire parents so that they’re less anxious, even as it’s rewiring kids so that they’re less anxious,” Skenazy told CNA.

“If you want parents to feel less burdened, more hopeful, more trusting, more relaxed, happier, and more filled with faith, they have to let go,” Skenazy said.

Let Grow also has “play club” programs designed to let kids play independently before and after school, with “a lifeguard” rather than a strict chaperone. “Independence and free play have been going down for a long time,” Skenazy explained.

“Less anxious parents will mean less anxious kids, and less anxious kids will mean less anxious parents,” she said.

Skenazy sees parents grow by practicing giving their kids more independence. She compares her program to exposure therapy.

“Letting your kid go in a culture that has told you that your kid is in constant danger is an act of bravery,” she said. “You’re getting out of your comfort zone, even as the kid is getting out of theirs. And then seeing the kid come back again, it’s like you’ve been through the fire and you’ve come out hardened, you’re stronger, and that feels great.”

Building support among Catholic parents

Catholic parents need more support than they are currently given by the Church, according to Popcak, who has noticed an uptick in parental stress in his work.

“We need to give parents clear guidance for building loving, joyful, faithful family lives,” Popcak said. “We need to help them recapture their quality of life as families.”

“We need to give them real hope that it’s possible to raise faithful kids in today’s world and we need to give them the support that’s necessary to pull this off,” he added. 

Popcak recently founded a website and app designed to support Catholic parents through building community and offering resources designed to help parents keep their kids in the faith. 

The app, CatholicHOM (Households on Mission) is designed to build community, help parents raise kids who stay Catholic, and enable parishes to run monthly parent support groups. 

CatholicHOM’s main focus, Popcak said, is “building a community of support for Catholic parents and connecting them with our team of professional pastoral counselors and Catholic family life coaches so they can get daily support, encouragement, and resources they need to create joyful, loving, faithful Catholic family lives.”

“We’re giving parents a community where they share struggles and successes, get support, and grow together,” Popcak said.

Communion in the home 

Trinity House Community Groups is another ministry designed to bolster the lives of parents and families. The organization offers family formation, fellowship, and materials to help parents pass their faith on to their children.

“We inspire Catholic parents with a vision for their domestic church or ‘Trinity House,’ a vision rooted in the Church’s teaching that the family is a communion of persons in the image of the Holy Trinity,” Soren Johnson told CNA. 

Trinity House also helps parishes create local groups that invite parents and kids to gather. 

“In addition to a vision and practical roadmap, today’s families need a community which can provide encouragement, fellowship, and accountability as they lead their children heavenwards,” Soren Johnson noted.

Each meeting follows the “Trinity House Model,” designed to build community as the group works through aspects of family life: faith life, relationships, household economy, family culture, and hospitality and service. 

“Too often, the only all-family event at the local parish is the annual picnic,” he continued. “In addition to strong women’s groups, men’s groups, young adult groups, and others, parishes need to open up the parish hall for frequent opportunities for entire families to build community.” 

In response to the stress crisis, Ever Johnson said that “we need to re-propose the Church’s beautiful vision for the family, rooted in the peace of the communion of the Holy Trinity, and lived out in practical ways such as the holy Sabbath, family meals, family prayer, and an immersive, beautiful, loving Catholic experience within the home.” 

Hospitality for families

The California bishops are also taking steps to celebrate and support marriage and families.

In their recently launched “Radiate Love” initiative, designed to celebrate and support marriage and families, the bishops are encouraging their flocks to take steps to support families on the diocesan, parish, and family levels.

Molly Sheahan, associate director for Healthy Families for the California Catholic Conference, said that Catholic communities can take many steps to better support families, beginning at Mass.

“Acknowledging them in the prayers of the faithful or with a special blessing shows families that they’re seen and valued by their parish community,” she told CNA.

Sheahan also recommended that parishes “create opportunities for connection.”

“Intentional hospitality at church as a place outside of work or school where families are welcome goes a long way,” she noted. “Inviting families to the church picnic, family adoration, time at the park after Mass, or moms’ and dads’ groups both promotes family closeness and helps build community.”

In response to the initiative, California parishes and dioceses are building marriage ministries and family retreats and connecting with young adults to address their questions about dating and marriage, Sheahan said. 

“Parishes are hosting skills-building workshops for married couples to help with things like communication, conflict resolution, active listening, and strengthening their relationship,” she added. “Others are hosting date nights with child care, or offering date night kits at home, to help couples reconnect and spend time together.” 

Catholics in California are already feeling the effect. 

“It’s renewing hope in our communities that marriage is good for people, for children, and for our Church,” Sheahan said.

From left to right: Deacon Omar F.A. Gutierrez, notary in the cause for canonization, Steve Wolf, vice postulator in the cause for canonization and a Boys Town alumnus, and Father Ryan Lewis, JCL, the archbishop’s delegate. / Credit: EWTN screenshot/Francesca Pollio Fenton/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 7, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A new film depicting the life and work of Father Edward J. Flanagan titled “Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story” will be released in theaters across the United States for one night only on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The film portrays the Catholic priest’s unwavering commitment to caring for abandoned and orphaned youth starting from the Great Depression to after World War II, all while defying racist laws in order to serve the most vulnerable and give them hope for a future. The film covers a range of topics — from Flanagan’s health issues to his immigrating to the United States to his founding of Boys Town, Nebraska.

The film is narrated by popular Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus Christ in “The Chosen.”

The movie had its premiere on Sept. 13 in Boys Town, where CNA had the opportunity to sit down with the several of the individuals involved in Servant of God Edward Flanagan’s cause for canonization.

CNA spoke with Deacon Omar F.A. Gutierrez, notary in the cause for canonization, Father Ryan Lewis, JCL, the archbishop’s delegate, and Steve Wolf, vice postulator in the cause for canonization and a Boys Town alumnus.

Wolf explained that as with any cause for canonization, Flanagan’s began with a “groundswell of devotion among his former boys and girls, former youth.”

From there, the challenge became quantifying the growing devotion before meeting with the archbishop to present the case. This was done through demonstrating the thousands of prayer cards distributed, nationally and internationally, and presenting anecdotal information about Flanagan from people who had admired him over the years and during his lifetime.

Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha accepted the petition and formally opened Flanagan’s cause in 2012. The diocesan phase included creating a historical and theological commission to dig deeper into his life and teachings. The archdiocese closed the diocesan phase in 2015.

In 2019, Flanagan’s cause advanced with the presentation of the “positio,” which summarizes the records collected by the Archdiocese of Omaha and argues that Flanagan demonstrated heroic virtue. It was presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on July 22, 2019, along with a letter of support from Lucas.  

“It’s been very exciting. Everything that we did with regard to his life — it was very invasive in the sense of its thorough looking into his life — and the more we dug and the deeper we dug the more and more convinced we became of this man’s sanctity, of his holiness,” Lewis said. “We knew he was a good man and a good priest but he really excelled in the life of virtue.” 

Lewis added that those involved in Flanagan’s cause have come to believe that one of the reasons his foundation, Boys Town, has performed so well over the years is because “it was built on the foundation of such a holy man.”

Wolf added that he believes “his example is needed now more than ever.”

“He offers a guide for people that want to help families in crisis, children in crisis,” he said. “He’s as relevant in the things he said, the way he approached youth care, the evolution of his mission here in Boys Town — it’s just so fundamentally needed now as much as ever.”

Lewis also pointed out that highlighting the life of a priest who did such important work with the youth can serve as a “morale boost to the Catholic Church here in America.”

“Here in America where we have the abuse crisis, to lift up a priest like him, an American priest who worked with youth and did so in such a holy, magnificent way, positive way, impacting so many lives,” he said, “I think it would be a wonderful example and what a morale boost to the Catholic Church here in America, to the Catholic Church in Ireland, and even beyond, to be able to lift this American priest up and say look at this positive example and emblematic of all the many priests who serve so faithfully and so well but sometimes get a bad rap.”

Gutierrez, who has been a deacon for seven years, shared that the title of the film, “Heart of a Servant,” “speaks to my diaconate.”

“I think his life of service came from his identity as a priest. He knew he was called to the priesthood, and the film tells the story about how because of health he kept failing out and failing out but he maintained,” he said. “And I think part of the fruit of his life is the fruit of him being faithful to his identity, and as a deacon that’s what we’re called to do as well — to be faithful to our identities as servants and really serve God’s people and allow the Lord to have that bear fruit.”

The three men shared that they hope this movie will help advance his cause by having more people come to know his story and feel inspired to ask for his intercession.

“I think whoever views it, whether they knew Flanagan or not, is going to get not just a look at him but a really excellent view of his life, which should inspire them to pray to him and ask for his intercession,” Lewis expressed.

“We want to lift him up and hopefully count him among the saints in heaven.”

Monica Biboso and her employer, Ester Rot, while celebrating Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in the dining room of Kibbutz Be'eri in 2022. “I don’t feel like a hero because I saved Ester” during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Biboso told CNA. “I would do anything to save her. I just treated her like my mother. Every child would do the same.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso

Jerusalem, Oct 7, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

One year has passed since Monica Biboso, a 36-year-old Filipino woman who has worked as a caregiver in Israel for over 10 years, was suddenly awakened by the noise of bombs and gunfire in Kibbutz Be’eri, close to the Gaza border.

In a conversation with CNA, Biboso’s eyes moistened as she recalled that day. Hamas fighters surrounded the house, shattered the windows, and set the home ablaze. She still has nightmares and jumps whenever someone knocks on the door of her room at the David Dead Sea Resort by the Dead Sea, where she has been displaced for the past year.

During the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel that took the lives of almost 1,200 people, 101 civilians were killed in Be’eri and 30 hostages were taken to Gaza, 11 of whom are still being held in captivity.

Biboso not only survived, but she also managed to protect the elderly lady she was caring for — Ester Rot, who is 81 and has dementia. They were the only two survivors from their neighborhood.

“I have never stopped praying because I have always believed that God was there,” Biboso, a Catholic, told CNA. “All the time, I prayed to God and asked him that if my time had come, he would at least protect my children. But God did not want to call me yet, and I survived.”

Biboso is married to a fellow countryman she met in Israel who had returned to the Philippines just a few days before Oct. 7. The couple has two children, ages 7 and 5, who are growing up in the Philippines under the care of Biboso’s sister.

In the first few hours of being locked in the house’s safe room, Biboso stayed in touch with her family, her Filipino colleagues in the kibbutz, and Rot’s children, but then her cellphone battery died.

“When I was able to turn my phone back on, I found video messages from my children, crying, kissing, and telling me to take care of myself,” she recalled.

Biboso, who was locked in the shelter with Rot for 16 hours, has been trying to forget the experience, but from the start it was clear it would never be possible. 

“All the time, I carry my bag with my documents and important things. I am afraid of losing them again. Every night before going to sleep, I need to check outside and lock the door.”

For the past year, Biboso has been undergoing psychological therapy, which is helping her cope with the memories, fear, anguish, and nightmares — and to talk about what she went through.

“When I heard the sirens, I woke Mrs. Ester up, changed her, and dressed her quickly. I gave her her medicine and something to help her sleep, and we took refuge in the safe room of the house. I understood that the situation was serious, as I could hear the gunshots getting closer and closer,” Biboso recounted to CNA.

The closed caption television cameras that Rot’s children had previously installed in the house showed Hamas militants coming and going until they managed to break into the house.

“For the entire time I was locked in the shelter, I kept praying and saying to God, ‘Help us, I know it’s impossible to save us, but I know you can save us.’”

Around 11 a.m., the Hamas fighters broke into the house by blasting a hole with explosives. 

“Maybe God heard me because they couldn’t open the shelter door. I was holding the handle from the inside. He gave me incredible strength.”

Then they set fire to the house. 

“We could barely breathe, it was so hot. We had no water, no food, nothing. I thought we were going to die, but I kept praying.”

When asked how she was able to survive, Biboso said: “God saved me. No one was able to help us. I was weak, I couldn’t breathe, my body was shaking, and I was lying on the floor, but I kept praying. Because of him, I survived. I truly believe that. He was with me the entire time I was in the shelter. I could feel it. Without God, I wouldn’t be here.”

Biboso and Rot spent a day in the hospital, then they were transferred to a hotel on the Dead Sea along with the surviving residents of Kibbutz Be’eri. About 10 of Biboso’s colleagues were among them. (Two others died in the attack and five returned to the Philippines.)

“Together with my husband, we decided it was best for me to stay, at least for the time being. I could never have left Mrs. Ester or allowed her to end up in a nursing home after surviving all this. She is like a mother to me,” said Biboso, who lost her own mother at the age of 16.

“I don’t feel like a hero because I saved Mrs. Ester,” Biboso added. “I would do anything to save her. I just treated her like my mother. Every child would do the same.”

“I knew that if I wanted to have any chance of healing and overcoming this trauma, I could only do it here,” she said. “In Israel, psychologists could help me because they understand the context.” 

Ultimately, economic reasons also motivated Biboso to stay. Currently, her salary is the only stable income for her family, whom she was able to reunite with for some weeks in April.

Life at the hotel follows a fairly regular routine. “When we get up, I help Mrs. Ester with breakfast, give her a bath, take her for a walk, and do exercises. After lunch, we rest. When I can’t sleep, I crochet. It helps me relax.” Sometimes the two walk along the sea, take a swim, and spend time with friends.

Four months after Oct. 7, Biboso visited Kibbutz Be’eri together with Rot’s children. “It was very hard. I couldn’t stay there for long.” The house was completely destroyed by the flames. 

“All my things were burned, everything was reduced to ashes,” Biboso recounted, “But my rosary didn’t burn. I found it beside my bed. It was a little burnt, but the beads were intact, and the cross was still a cross. My husband gave it to me and I used to pray with it every day before sleeping. I know I’m safe because of it.”

To this day, every night, Bibosa prays the rosary before bedtime. “In the Philippines, when my mother was alive, every day at 6 o’clock we prayed the rosary together before having dinner. I kept doing it.”

After Oct. 7, a nun living in Tel Aviv called Biboso every day, and they prayed together. “She’s helped me a lot. If I can’t sleep, I call her, and we pray together over the phone.”

“Prayer is a big help to me in healing, lightening the burden on my heart, and freeing my mind from negative thoughts,” Biboso said.

In mid-October, Biboso and Rot are expected to move to Kibbutz Hatzerim, where new housing units have been built for the Be’eri survivors.

“First, you need to have faith in God and be thankful for everything,” Biboso said. “You just need to trust him, and he will make a way to save you. This war will also end because of him. He will find a way to bring good out of it all.”

A woman prays the rosary at the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, on Sept. 28, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 7, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

October is designated by the Catholic Church as the Month of the Rosary and Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Here are seven common myths and facts about this devotion to Our Lady.

1. Only Catholics can pray the rosary. 

False. While rosaries are typically associated with Catholics, non-Catholics can certainly pray the rosary — and in fact, many credit it to their conversion. Even some Protestants recognize the rosary as a valid form of prayer.

2. Praying the rosary is idolatry. 

False. Some have objections to the rosary, claiming it idolizes Mary and is overly repetitive. 

Just like any practice, the rosary can be abused — just as someone might idolize a particular pastor or priest, a form of worship, or fasting. But the rosary itself is not a form of idolatry. 

The rosary is not a prayer to Mary — it is a meditation on the life of Christ revealed in five mysteries “with the purposes of drawing the person praying deeper into reflecting on Christ’s joys, sacrifices, sufferings, and the glorious miracles of his life.” 

When we pray the Hail Mary, we are not adoring Mary, we are asking for her intercession — just as we might ask a friend or family member to pray for us. 

Second, any prayer can lose its meaning if we do not intentionally meditate on it. Focusing on the mysteries with purpose and intention is key to the rosary’s transforming power. As one author encourages: “The rosary itself stays the same, but we do not.”

3. You can wear a rosary as a necklace.

It depends. It is typically considered disrespectful and irreverent to wear a rosary around one’s neck as jewelry, even though the Church does not have an explicit declaration against doing so. 

However, Canon 1171 of the Code of Canon Law says that “sacred objects, set aside for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated with reverence. They are not to be made over to secular or inappropriate use, even though they may belong to private persons.”

It is important to treat the rosary with respect and intention. If you intend to wear the rosary as a piece of jewelry, this would not be respectful and should be avoided. It goes without saying that wearing the rosary as a mockery or gang symbol would be a sin.

But if it is your intention to use the rosary and be mindful of prayer, then it could be permissible. It is not uncommon in some cultures, like in Honduras and El Salvador, to see the rosary respectfully worn around the neck as a sign of devotion.

Rosary rings or bracelets might be a better option if you want to keep your rosary close at hand as a reminder to pray, as they are kept more out of sight and would not be as easily misconstrued to be a piece of jewelry. 

4. The rosary is an extremist symbol.

False. A widely-shared 2022 Atlantic article went viral for accusing the rosary of being an “extremist symbol.” 

“Just as the AR-15 rifle has become a sacred object for Christian nationalists in general, the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or “rad trad”) Catholics,” the article read.

The author also cited the Church’s stance on traditional marriage and the sanctity of life as evidence of “extremism” and claimed that Catholics’ tendency to call the rosary a “weapon in the fight against evil” as dangerous.

As CNA reported in 2022, popes have urged Catholics to pray the rosary since 1571 — often referring to the rosary as a prayer “weapon” and most powerful spiritual tool.

5. The rosary is not biblical.

Untrue! Most of its words come directly from Scripture.

First, the Our Father is prayed. The words of the Our Father are those Christ taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9–13.

The Hail Mary also comes straight from the Bible. The first part, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” comes from Luke 1:28, and the second, “Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” is found in Luke 1:42.

Finally, each of the decades prayed on the rosary symbolizes an event in the lives of Jesus and Mary. The decades are divided into four sets of mysteries: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious, the majority of which are found in Scripture. 

6. A rosary bead, or pea, can kill you.

Somewhat true. A rosary pea, or abrus seed, is a vine plant native to India and parts of Asia. The seeds of the vine, which are red with black spots, are often used to make beaded jewelry — including rosaries. Rosary pea seeds contain a toxic substance called “abrin,” which is a naturally-occurring poison that can be fatal if ingested. However, it’s unlikely for someone to get abrin poisoning just from holding a rosary made from abrus seeds, as one would have to swallow them.

Today, most rosaries are made from other nontoxic materials, such as olive wood or glass — eliminating this concern.

7. Carrying a rosary can protect you.

True. The rosary has proven to be a miraculous force for protecting those of faith and bestowing upon them extra graces, such as the victory of the Christian forces at the Battle of Lepanto after St. Pius V implored Western Christians to pray the rosary.

Many great saints across history, including Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio, and Lucia of Fatima, have also recognized the rosary as the most powerful weapon in fighting the real spiritual battles we face in the world. 

We know that spiritual warfare is a real and present danger: “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph 6:11–12). 

“The rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin … If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors,” Pope Pius XI said. 

This article was first published on Oct. 1, 2022, and has been updated.

More than 400 priests, bishops, and cardinals concelebrated a Mass with Pope Francis to open the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Oct 6, 2024 / 20:05 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality has entered its final phase. Bishops, lay experts, and even non-Catholic observers from around the world have gathered in Rome this October for a monthlong assembly that could reshape the Church, its governance, and itsteaching. Pope Francis, opening the session, urged participants to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than pursue personal agendas.

Here’s what you should know

The October 2024 session’s focus is on “How to Be a Missionary Synodal Church” as the synod’s 368 voting members consider proposals related to the roles of women, decentralizing Church teaching authority, and enhancing the laity’s input in decision-making. 

• Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s essential terminology guide

• Here’s what is new at the Synod on Synodality Part 2

Key developments

Synod rules out women deacons

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, on Oct. 3 shuts down speculation regarding further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. Father Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod, says this month’s discussions held in the Vatican should serve as “laboratories of synodal life,” Kristina Millare reports.

The story so far 

Oct. 6: Pope Francis and synod participants pray rosary for peace

Invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for peace in the world amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine, Pope Francis presides over a rosary prayer in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday evening, reports Courtney Mares.

Oct. 5: A call for peace and an announcement of dialogue

A Lebanese bishop makes an impassioned plea for peace and forgiveness at the Synod on Synodality’s daily press briefing on Saturday as the assembly’s first week draws to a close.

Bishop Mounir Khairallah of Batroun shares his personal experience of violence and forgiveness, recounting how his parents were murdered when he was just 5 years old.

Meanwhile, a dialogue with study groups is announced for Oct. 18 after synod delegates vote for more interaction with the groups established by Pope Francis.

Oct. 4: What’s behind the viral photo of Pope Francis venerating a chair?

Pope Francis sits before the historic relic of St. Peter’s chair in the Ottoboni sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. What is behind this viral image? Madalaine Elhabbal explains.

Oct. 4: Participants put spotlight on world’s poor

Closing the first week of meetings, participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Kristina Millare reports. 

The first week at the Synod on Synodality — revolution or much ado about nothing? 

Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci analyzes the first days of the gathering in Rome. He writes: “It seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women.” 

Oct. 3: Many voices to be heard 

Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, says at a press conference that “every believer, man or woman, and every group, association, movement, or community will be able to participate with their own contribution” via the synod’s 10 study groups.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, tells journalists the work of participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality is to find the “cohesive voice” that expresses the life of the Church.

Oct. 3: Solving sexuality questions with ‘contextual fidelity’?

A study group appointed by Pope Francis to explore a synodal approach to the Church’s most debated issues — including sexual morality and life matters — proposes “contextual fidelity” and a “new paradigm” that downplays long-standing Church teaching, Jonathan Liedl notes. 

Oct. 2: Pope Francis calls for new ways for bishops to be ‘synodal’

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis says a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis opens synod, warns against personal ‘agendas’

Pope Francis opens the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, which is meant to deepen the missionary perspective of the Church, explains EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” the pope says at the synod’s opening Mass on Oct. 2, Courtney Mares reports. The pontiff warns: “Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion.”

Oct. 2: Looming questions about role of German ‘synodality’ 

“More candor about the motivations of the German Synodal Path and its vision of the Catholic future would be helpful in determining what, if anything, it has to offer the world Church at Synod 2024,” comments George Weigel in the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 1: Penitential liturgy is held in St. Peter’s Basilica; more than 500 people attend

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis says the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church, Kristina Millare reports. 

Nine years ago, this papal speech set the ‘synodality’ machine in motion

Since Pope Francis’ 2015 speech, synodality has grown from a theological concept into a guiding principle of Church governance. Analysis from Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register.

More than 400 priests, bishops, and cardinals concelebrated a Mass with Pope Francis to open the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Oct 6, 2024 / 20:05 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality has entered its final phase. Bishops, lay experts, and even non-Catholic observers from around the world have gathered in Rome this October for a monthlong assembly that could reshape the Church, its governance, and itsteaching. Pope Francis, opening the session, urged participants to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than pursue personal agendas.

Here’s what you should know

The October 2024 session’s focus is on “How to Be a Missionary Synodal Church” as the synod’s 368 voting members consider proposals related to the roles of women, decentralizing Church teaching authority, and enhancing the laity’s input in decision-making. 

• Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s essential terminology guide

• Here’s what is new at the Synod on Synodality Part 2

Key developments

Synod rules out women deacons

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, on Oct. 3 shuts down speculation regarding further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. Father Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod, says this month’s discussions held in the Vatican should serve as “laboratories of synodal life,” Kristina Millare reports.

The story so far 

Oct. 6: Pope Francis and synod participants pray rosary for peace

Invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for peace in the world amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine, Pope Francis presides over a rosary prayer in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday evening, reports Courtney Mares.

Oct. 5: A call for peace and an announcement of dialogue

A Lebanese bishop makes an impassioned plea for peace and forgiveness at the Synod on Synodality’s daily press briefing on Saturday as the assembly’s first week draws to a close.

Bishop Mounir Khairallah of Batroun shares his personal experience of violence and forgiveness, recounting how his parents were murdered when he was just 5 years old.

Meanwhile, a dialogue with study groups is announced for Oct. 18 after synod delegates vote for more interaction with the groups established by Pope Francis.

Oct. 4: What’s behind the viral photo of Pope Francis venerating a chair?

Pope Francis sits before the historic relic of St. Peter’s chair in the Ottoboni sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. What is behind this viral image? Madalaine Elhabbal explains.

Oct. 4: Participants put spotlight on world’s poor

Closing the first week of meetings, participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Kristina Millare reports. 

The first week at the Synod on Synodality — revolution or much ado about nothing? 

Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci analyzes the first days of the gathering in Rome. He writes: “It seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women.” 

Oct. 3: Many voices to be heard 

Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, says at a press conference that “every believer, man or woman, and every group, association, movement, or community will be able to participate with their own contribution” via the synod’s 10 study groups.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, tells journalists the work of participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality is to find the “cohesive voice” that expresses the life of the Church.

Oct. 3: Solving sexuality questions with ‘contextual fidelity’?

A study group appointed by Pope Francis to explore a synodal approach to the Church’s most debated issues — including sexual morality and life matters — proposes “contextual fidelity” and a “new paradigm” that downplays long-standing Church teaching, Jonathan Liedl notes. 

Oct. 2: Pope Francis calls for new ways for bishops to be ‘synodal’

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis says a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis opens synod, warns against personal ‘agendas’

Pope Francis opens the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, which is meant to deepen the missionary perspective of the Church, explains EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” the pope says at the synod’s opening Mass on Oct. 2, Courtney Mares reports. The pontiff warns: “Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion.”

Oct. 2: Looming questions about role of German ‘synodality’ 

“More candor about the motivations of the German Synodal Path and its vision of the Catholic future would be helpful in determining what, if anything, it has to offer the world Church at Synod 2024,” comments George Weigel in the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 1: Penitential liturgy is held in St. Peter’s Basilica; more than 500 people attend

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis says the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church, Kristina Millare reports. 

Nine years ago, this papal speech set the ‘synodality’ machine in motion

Since Pope Francis’ 2015 speech, synodality has grown from a theological concept into a guiding principle of Church governance. Analysis from Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register.

Pope Francis holds his rosary beads during a rosary prayer for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Oct. 6, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome, Italy, Oct 6, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over a solemn rosary prayer in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday evening, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for peace in the world amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the pope implored Our Lady, Queen of Peace, to “dispel the dark clouds of evil.”

“Mother, intercede for our world in danger, that it may protect life and reject war, care for the suffering, the poor, the defenseless, the sick, and the afflicted, and guard our common home,” he prayed during the Oct. 6 service.

“We beg you to intercede for God’s mercy, O Queen of Peace! Convert the souls of those who fuel hatred, silence the noise of weapons that give rise to death, extinguish the violence that broods in the heart of human beings, and inspire projects of peace in the deeds of those who govern nations.”

Rome’s largest Marian basilica was packed for the rosary prayer on Oct. 6 with bishops, cardinals, priests, religious sisters, and laypeople — many of whom are delegates in the Synod on Synodality assembly taking place at the Vatican this month. Foreign diplomats accredited to the Holy See could also be seen in the crowd praying for peace.

Two young people led the congregation in the glorious mysteries of the rosary with a choir singing a short Marian hymn between each mystery. 

Pope Francis sat in a white chair in front of the basilica near the chapel that contains the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani,” an icon he has visited more than 100 times since becoming pope.

The congregation sang the traditional “Salve Regina” prayer in Latin and the Litany of Loreto at the end of the rosary before the pope read out his prayer for peace.

“O Mary, our mother, once again we stand before you. You know the sorrows and difficulties  that burden our hearts in this hour. We lift our gaze to you, we focus on your eyes and entrust  ourselves to your heart,” Francis said.

“You who are ready to embrace our sorrows, come to our aid in these times oppressed by injustice and devastated by wars, wipe away the tears from the suffering faces of those who mourn the death of their loved ones.”

A small crowd stood outside the basilica praying the rosary in union with the pope inside.

At the end of the prayer, the 87-year-old pope was brought in his wheelchair to pray in silence before an icon of the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis has said that he wishes to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. 

A few hours earlier, the pope made an impassioned appeal for peace in the Middle East during his Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square.

“Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately,” Pope Francis said.

“Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. The people are suffering very much in Gaza and other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages,” he added.

Appealing to the international community to stop “the spiral of revenge” and to prevent attacks “like the one recently carried out by Iran,” Pope Francis underlined the right of all nationals to exist in peace and security.

“In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever,” Francis said, reiterating his invitation for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world on Oct. 7.

“Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war,” the pope said.

Pope Francis holds his rosary beads during a rosary prayer for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Oct. 6, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome, Italy, Oct 6, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over a solemn rosary prayer in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday evening, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for peace in the world amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the pope implored Our Lady, Queen of Peace, to “dispel the dark clouds of evil.”

“Mother, intercede for our world in danger, that it may protect life and reject war, care for the suffering, the poor, the defenseless, the sick, and the afflicted, and guard our common home,” he prayed during the Oct. 6 service.

“We beg you to intercede for God’s mercy, O Queen of Peace! Convert the souls of those who fuel hatred, silence the noise of weapons that give rise to death, extinguish the violence that broods in the heart of human beings, and inspire projects of peace in the deeds of those who govern nations.”

Rome’s largest Marian basilica was packed for the rosary prayer on Oct. 6 with bishops, cardinals, priests, religious sisters, and laypeople — many of whom are delegates in the Synod on Synodality assembly taking place at the Vatican this month. Foreign diplomats accredited to the Holy See could also be seen in the crowd praying for peace.

Two young people led the congregation in the glorious mysteries of the rosary with a choir singing a short Marian hymn between each mystery. 

Pope Francis sat in a white chair in front of the basilica near the chapel that contains the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani,” an icon he has visited more than 100 times since becoming pope.

The congregation sang the traditional “Salve Regina” prayer in Latin and the Litany of Loreto at the end of the rosary before the pope read out his prayer for peace.

“O Mary, our mother, once again we stand before you. You know the sorrows and difficulties  that burden our hearts in this hour. We lift our gaze to you, we focus on your eyes and entrust  ourselves to your heart,” Francis said.

“You who are ready to embrace our sorrows, come to our aid in these times oppressed by injustice and devastated by wars, wipe away the tears from the suffering faces of those who mourn the death of their loved ones.”

A small crowd stood outside the basilica praying the rosary in union with the pope inside.

At the end of the prayer, the 87-year-old pope was brought in his wheelchair to pray in silence before an icon of the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis has said that he wishes to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. 

A few hours earlier, the pope made an impassioned appeal for peace in the Middle East during his Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square.

“Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately,” Pope Francis said.

“Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. The people are suffering very much in Gaza and other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages,” he added.

Appealing to the international community to stop “the spiral of revenge” and to prevent attacks “like the one recently carried out by Iran,” Pope Francis underlined the right of all nationals to exist in peace and security.

“In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever,” Francis said, reiterating his invitation for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world on Oct. 7.

“Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war,” the pope said.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his Angelus reflection on Oct. 6, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 6, 2024 / 10:43 am (CNA).

“Be open to the gift of life,” Pope Francis urged married couples in his Sunday Angelus address in which the pope described a recent encounter with a father of eight children as “a great consolation.”

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 6, Pope Francis asked couples to reflect on whether their married life is fully open to the gift of children.

“For spouses, it’s essential to be open to the gift of life, to the gift of children. They are the most beautiful fruit of love, the greatest blessing from God, a source of joy and hope for every home and all of society. Have children!” Pope Francis said.

“Dear brothers and sisters, love is demanding, yes, but it is beautiful, and the more we allow ourselves to be involved by it, the more we discover true happiness in it,” he added.

The pope recounted how a member of the Vatican’s Gendarmerie Corps brought his eight children to a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica that the pope presided over on Saturday. Pope Francis described seeing the family as “a great consolation.” 

“It was beautiful to see them,” he said. “Please, be open to life, to what God may send you.”

Francis encouraged married Catholics to “ask themselves: How is my love? Is it faithful? Is it generous? Is it creative?” 

“How are our families?” Pope Francis added. “Are they open to life, to the gift of children?”

The Catholic Church teaches that all forms of artificial birth control are illicit and forbidden to married couples. This teaching was formalized in 1968 by St. Paul VI, who in his encyclical Humanae Vitae declared that “any action … specifically intended to prevent procreation” was “absolutely excluded” as a lawful means of regulating the number of children in a Catholic marriage.

However, recent data from the federally administered National Survey of Family Growth shows large majorities of Catholics in the United States report using at least one form of artificial contraception — with over 90% having used condoms and more than 60% having used the hormonal birth control pill. 

Pope Francis has expressed concern in recent years over Europe’s “demographic winter” in which birth rates in countries such as Italy have reached historic lows.

In his Angelus address, the pope offered a reflection on Sunday’s Gospel from the Gospel of Mark in which the Pharisees asked Jesus about whether the law permits divorce.

Pope Francis noted that the Lord’s reply to the Pharisees reminded them of “the demands of love.”

“He reminds them that woman and man were willed by the Creator as equal in dignity and complementary in diversity,” the pope said.

Francis emphasized that the mutual gift of married love is “destined to last not ‘as long as everything goes well’ but forever, accepting each other and living united as ‘one flesh.’”

“Of course, this is not easy,” the pope added. “This requires fidelity, even in difficulties, it requires respect, honesty, simplicity. It requires being open to confrontation … when it is necessary, but also to be always ready to forgive and to be reconciled to the other.”

At the end of his Gospel reflection, Pope Francis asked the Virgin Mary to intercede for Christian spouses, noting the upcoming feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

An appeal for peace in the Holy Land

Pope Francis noted that he will soon go to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray the rosary for peace on the vigil of the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

“Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately,” Pope Francis said.

“Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. The people are suffering very much in Gaza and in other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages,” he added.

Appealing to the international community to stop “the spiral of revenge” and to prevent attacks “like the one recently carried out by Iran,” Pope Francis underlined the right of all nationals to exist in peace and security.

“In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever,” Francis said, reiterating his invitation for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world on Oct. 7.

“Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war,” the pope said.

21 new cardinals announced

At the end of his Angelus address, Pope Francis surprised the crowd by announcing that he plans to create 21 new cardinals, including the archbishops of Tehran, Tokyo, and Toronto, in a consistory on Dec. 8. 

The pope noted that the cardinals-elect reflect “the universality of the Church that continues to announce God’s merciful love to all people.”

“Let us pray for the new cardinals, that in confirming their commitment to Christ, the merciful and faithful high priest, they may assist me in my ministry as the bishop of Rome for the good of the holy people of God.”

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his Angelus reflection on Oct. 6, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 6, 2024 / 10:43 am (CNA).

“Be open to the gift of life,” Pope Francis urged married couples in his Sunday Angelus address in which the pope described a recent encounter with a father of eight children as “a great consolation.”

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 6, Pope Francis asked couples to reflect on whether their married life is fully open to the gift of children.

“For spouses, it’s essential to be open to the gift of life, to the gift of children. They are the most beautiful fruit of love, the greatest blessing from God, a source of joy and hope for every home and all of society. Have children!” Pope Francis said.

“Dear brothers and sisters, love is demanding, yes, but it is beautiful, and the more we allow ourselves to be involved by it, the more we discover true happiness in it,” he added.

The pope recounted how a member of the Vatican’s Gendarmerie Corps brought his eight children to a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica that the pope presided over on Saturday. Pope Francis described seeing the family as “a great consolation.” 

“It was beautiful to see them,” he said. “Please, be open to life, to what God may send you.”

Francis encouraged married Catholics to “ask themselves: How is my love? Is it faithful? Is it generous? Is it creative?” 

“How are our families?” Pope Francis added. “Are they open to life, to the gift of children?”

The Catholic Church teaches that all forms of artificial birth control are illicit and forbidden to married couples. This teaching was formalized in 1968 by St. Paul VI, who in his encyclical Humanae Vitae declared that “any action … specifically intended to prevent procreation” was “absolutely excluded” as a lawful means of regulating the number of children in a Catholic marriage.

However, recent data from the federally administered National Survey of Family Growth shows large majorities of Catholics in the United States report using at least one form of artificial contraception — with over 90% having used condoms and more than 60% having used the hormonal birth control pill. 

Pope Francis has expressed concern in recent years over Europe’s “demographic winter” in which birth rates in countries such as Italy have reached historic lows.

In his Angelus address, the pope offered a reflection on Sunday’s Gospel from the Gospel of Mark in which the Pharisees asked Jesus about whether the law permits divorce.

Pope Francis noted that the Lord’s reply to the Pharisees reminded them of “the demands of love.”

“He reminds them that woman and man were willed by the Creator as equal in dignity and complementary in diversity,” the pope said.

Francis emphasized that the mutual gift of married love is “destined to last not ‘as long as everything goes well’ but forever, accepting each other and living united as ‘one flesh.’”

“Of course, this is not easy,” the pope added. “This requires fidelity, even in difficulties, it requires respect, honesty, simplicity. It requires being open to confrontation … when it is necessary, but also to be always ready to forgive and to be reconciled to the other.”

At the end of his Gospel reflection, Pope Francis asked the Virgin Mary to intercede for Christian spouses, noting the upcoming feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

An appeal for peace in the Holy Land

Pope Francis noted that he will soon go to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray the rosary for peace on the vigil of the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

“Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately,” Pope Francis said.

“Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. The people are suffering very much in Gaza and in other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages,” he added.

Appealing to the international community to stop “the spiral of revenge” and to prevent attacks “like the one recently carried out by Iran,” Pope Francis underlined the right of all nationals to exist in peace and security.

“In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever,” Francis said, reiterating his invitation for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world on Oct. 7.

“Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war,” the pope said.

21 new cardinals announced

At the end of his Angelus address, Pope Francis surprised the crowd by announcing that he plans to create 21 new cardinals, including the archbishops of Tehran, Tokyo, and Toronto, in a consistory on Dec. 8. 

The pope noted that the cardinals-elect reflect “the universality of the Church that continues to announce God’s merciful love to all people.”

“Let us pray for the new cardinals, that in confirming their commitment to Christ, the merciful and faithful high priest, they may assist me in my ministry as the bishop of Rome for the good of the holy people of God.”