Chaplains must assist military traumatized by war, pope says

The healing balm of the sacraments can help military chaplains tend to the wounds of armed forces who endure physical and emotional scars from conflicts raging around the world, Pope Francis said.

Synod members disagree on report’s opening to Communion for remarried

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Australian Cardinal George Pell said the final report of the Synod of Bishops on the family did not create an opening for the divorced and civilly remarried to receive Communion. “The text has certainly been significantly misunderstood,” Cardinal Pell, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, told Catholic News Service Oct. 25.

Synod report highlights pastoral care of society’s marginalized

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While they did not grab headlines, the elderly and people with disabilities, openness to life and the plight of migrants and refugees were also on the agenda of the Synod of Bishops on the family. The synod’s final report, which was approved Oct. 24, addressed the pastoral needs of those who are often cast aside to the margins of society, those who are often neglected and abandoned in a world that places profit over value.

Jesus’ disciples are called to lead without lecturing, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As disciples, Christians are called to imitate Jesus’ heart and lead others directly to him, without lecturing them, Pope Francis said. Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica Oct. 25 for the closing Mass of the Synod of Bishops. The Mass concluded three weeks of intense discussion and debate on pastoral responses to the challenges facing families in the modern world.

Synod report has new emphasis, not changed doctrine, U.S. bishops say

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Several hours before the final report of the Synod of Bishops was put to a vote, two U.S. bishops said that what is new is not the Church’s message, but the synod’s emphasis and attitude toward the role of the family in the modern world.

Time is now to end centuries of prejudice against Gypsies, pope says

It is time to "turn a new page" and end the indifference, neglect and hostility toward cultures and people who are different, he said Oct. 26 in an audience with more than 7,000 people taking part in an international pilgrimage.

Mexico mops up after Patricia; ‘nature was kind,’ official says

The storm struck Mexico as one of the strongest hurricanes ever registered in the Western Hemisphere, but it avoided populated areas by arriving in a region between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta known as the Costa Alegre and quickly lost strength.

Restoring walls, rebuilding communities: Ukrainians help one another

After a 16-month civil war that left 7,000 dead and more than double that injured, Ukrainians are rebuilding physical walls and destroying psychological ones, a nod to the slogan of volunteers with "Building Ukraine Together," an initiative of young people from western and central Ukraine.

Annual celebration helps parents cope with the loss of their babies

Few among the group were regular churchgoers. But for at least one morning, they participated in the feast of the angels, a liturgical celebration organized by parish staff near what's designated as Infant Loss Remembrance Day in Canada and the United States.

Final report to be a general guide, not hard answers, says cardinal

After nearly three weeks of intense discussion and debate, the Synod of Bishop's final document on the family as aiming to be a reflection of the overall sense of the "mind of the house" and indicate some general pastoral directions, a cardinal said at a Vatican news conference Oct. 22.