Christopher White

When Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to set foot in Bahrain during his upcoming Nov. 3-6 visit, in many ways, it will be a journey that began not in Rome, but five years ago with his 2017 visit to Egypt.

A newly released Vatican document for the next phase of Pope Francis' ongoing consultation process for the world's Catholics reckons with a number of topics once considered taboo in the Catholic Church, including women's ordination, LGBTQ relationships, children of priests, sexism and clergy sexual abuse. 

Pope Francis on Oct. 25 joined an assembly of global political and religious leaders gathered at Rome's Colosseum to lament Russia's continuing invasion of Ukraine, saying that "peace has been gravely violated, assaulted and trampled upon" and warning against any possible use of nuclear weapons.

The Vatican's top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Catholic media can be an active part of church life "first of all by living in a spirit of communion with the Bishop of Rome."

Pope Francis announced on Oct. 16 that he is significantly expanding the timeframe for his ongoing consultation process for the world's Catholics. The Vatican meeting of the Synod of Bishops, originally planned for next year, will now be held across two sessions: one in October 2023, and another in October 2024.

Pope Francis will host an online dialogue with students across the African continent next month as a follow-up to a virtual conversation that began earlier this year with young people across the Americas. 

The Discerning Deacons project, dedicated to engaging Catholics about the role of women and the diaconate, has been active in the synodal process. The group has led some 350 synod consultations with over 8,800 people.

Pope Francis on Oct. 11 marked the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council by pleading for the church to "overcome all polarization and preserve our communion."

For the past week outside of Rome, some 30 theologians, pastoral workers and bishops have been gathering in order to draft the working document of the next phase of Pope Francis' revamped global synod process.

Pope Francis will visit the Kingdom of Bahrain from Nov. 3-6, the Vatican confirmed on Sept. 28. 

Addressing a group of U.S. Catholic leaders, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod, emphasized the pastoral considerations of hot-button issues such as blessings for same-sex couples.

Pope Francis named Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça to head the newly formed Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Pope Francis on Sept. 21 met Italian LGBT Catholic advocates who say the pontiff encouraged their efforts to build a church "that excludes no one."

The pope on Sept. 15 backed Ukraine's right to defend itself from Russia's violent seven-month-long invasion. For the first time he appeared to lend his support to other countries that are supplying Ukrainians with arms.

An outspoken bishop of Kazakhstan's Catholic community, long known for his criticisms of Pope Francis, said that the pope's participation here in a major summit of interfaith leaders could give the "dangerous" impression that the Catholic Church is part of a "supermarket of religions" rather than the "one true religion." 

Pope Francis on Sept. 14 warned against the perversion of religion by power and corruption, telling a global gathering of interfaith leaders that "authentic religiosity" was a necessary building block for world peace.

Pope Francis on Sept. 13 kicked off a three-day trip to a country that shares a 4,700-mile-long border with Russia by condemning the "senseless and tragic war" in Ukraine and pleading with world leaders to listen to those who "cry out for peace." 

Pope Francis will become the second Catholic pontiff to visit Kazakhstan from Sept. 13-15. He is expected to bring a message of peace to the Central Asian nation, which is only about 1,500 miles east of Ukraine.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, says he would welcome a conversation with Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf about his interest in the traditional Latin Mass.

Participants from the pope's meeting with the world cardinals told NCR that discussions centered around the extent to which lay individuals can be granted authority in church governance, term limits for Vatican officials, and the city-state's finances.