We just got rid of our old hamper. It was just a hamper.

Catholics across the country continue to feel wounded by the clergy abuse crisis, seek a more welcoming church in which their “lived reality” is prioritized over rules and regulations, and desire lifelong spiritual, pastoral and catechetical formation as disciples, according to a report synthesizing the 10-month synodal process in dioceses.

Close to 200 bishops at the beginning of their ministries in dioceses and eparchies around the world met Pope Francis Sept. 19 at the end of a week of conferences.

Father A. Henry Kunkel III, the beloved longtime pastor of St. Mary in Pylesville who led his rural church with a “family-centered” approach, died Sept. 18 at WellSpan York Hospital in Pennsylvania. The native of Peru was 79 and had been battling a number of ailments, including skin and prostate cancer.

Pope Francis once again called for peace in the Caucasus region as the escalating conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia prompted renewed fears of war.