While some of the issues discussed at the synod on synodality were judged to require further study, members came up with a list of things that can or should happen immediately and others that should be considered.

A report summarizing discussions at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops said the church may need more welcoming pastoral approaches, especially to people who feel excluded, but also acknowledged fears of betraying traditional church teachings and practices.

Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talked with Michael La Civita, director of communications for CNEWA, and his colleague Joseph Hazboun, regional director of CNEWA’s Jerusalem office about the impact of the war on those who live in Israel and Gaza and how CNEWA is helping meet the needs on the ground.

The day after Pope Francis called for a cease-fire in the Holy Land, his foreign minister spoke by phone with the foreign minister of Iran, “reiterating the absolute need to avoid escalating the conflict,” the Vatican press office said.

To reform the church is to put God first and adore him, and to love and serve others, Pope Francis said at Mass marking the conclusion of the first session of the Synod of Bishops on synodality.