Pope Paul VI waves the starting flag for the Tour of Italy cycling race from the St. Damasus courtyard at the Vatican in this May 16, 1974, file photo. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)  To learn more about the Pope Paul VI and the documents he promulgated, watch The Church Alive series.   ...read more

On Tuesday October 7, during the Synod on the Family, Pope Francis called Cardinals to a special consistory that will address the crisis facing Christians in the Middle East. All the patriarchs of the Middle East and the heads of the Eastern Churches have been invited to attend the consistory, which will take place at ...read more

Pope Paul VI watches on television the first manned lunar landing July 21, 1969, at the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo) (July 20, 2009)  U.S. astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin poses for a photo beside the U.S. flag July 20, 1969, during the first manned lunar landing. Pope Paul VI told ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI views a room in the house where Pope Paul VI was born in Concesio, Italy.  Paul VI, was born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini in 1897 and served as pontiff from 1963 to 1978. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters) To learn more about the Pope’s of the Second Vatican Council, watch ...read more

Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I, are pictured in Venice in 1972. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family.  (CNS photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)  To learn more about the contributions of these great ...read more

Pope Paul VI greets the crowd as he visits the Verano cemetery in Rome in 1973. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. (CNS photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo) To learn more about the Church’s role in the modern world, watch ...read more

Today on Inside the Synod discussions got heated as the bishops reflected on difficult pastoral situations. Sebastian Gomes brings us the highlights. ...read more

Pope Paul VI is carried on the “sedia gestatoria,” a ceremonial throne, during a meeting of the Second Vatican Council in 1964. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. The miracle needed for Pope Paul’s beatification involved the birth of a ...read more

Tonight on Inside the Synod, the Pope calls Christians to greater unity at his weekly General Audience, and the Bishops reflect on the very practical challenges facing families today. ...read more

Tonight on Inside the Synod: Cardinal Sodano makes a special announcement about the Church’s response to the Middle East, a summary of the major themes developing at the Synod, and a special sit-down with Cardinal Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy. ...read more