For many, Joan Lewis needs no introduction. EWTN’s Rome correspondent is a regular feature on their television and radio networks, as well as online with her blog. The city, it would seem, is hers. From her stories, one can tell that she must be particularly well-connected among American ex-pats and visiting prelates. Before we shared ...read more

Characterizing the synod’s final list of propositions as a competition between bishops would be vulgar. Still, it merits examination whether the ideas proposed by the Canadian bishops survived the intervention, workshop, summarization and voting phases carried out over the past three weeks. For last week’s Catholic Register, I interviewed Archbishop Terrence Prendergast and Bishop Ronald ...read more

I just returned from St. Peter’s Basilica, where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the Eucharist with the international cast of the Synod of Bishops.  While the Vatican might have otherwise exhibited a festive atmosphere, the Holy Father reminded us of those who could not be present. During both the homily and the post-Mass Angelus, the Pope issued calls ...read more

On Saturday morning, the Synod of Bishops voted to approve the full list of 55 recommendations for Pope Benedict XVI.  During a midday press conference, the synod’s Relator General Cardinal Marc Ouellet characterized the three-week assembly as “rediscovering the Bible as the book of everyone and for everyone.” “The Church has again found its foundation, ...read more

Everyday at the Synod of Bishops, journalists are offered but one opportunity to observe the participants when they’re gathered in Paul VI Hall.  Accredited media are told to arrive outside the aula at 8:30 AM.  Then we wait for twenty minutes before being herded upstairs into the auditorium. A reporter is left no time to ...read more

Sadly for a lone tourist, much of Rome is either indecipherable or inaccessible.  Unlike Canada, where every hundred-year old building gets a commemorative plaque, even the magnificent churches typically lack explanations of their features. And the city is full of so many notable religious sites that a guide book would weigh more than a traveller ...read more

While I can’t always understand them, Rome is full of interesting characters. It’s for them that I’ve attempted to become an extrovert since I arrived nearly two weeks ago. Andre Koekenhoff (right) is the Thermovolt site manager for the solar panel project atop the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, where most of the Synod of Bishops ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI attended the world premiere of “Testimony” with good reason.  Certainly, a John Paul II biopic is timely, given that today marks the 30th anniversary of his pontifical election. And yes, some visual stimulus is in order for the Synod Fathers, who have daily endured the rigorous schedule of long speeches. However, the ...read more

This has been my sixth day in Rome. While I’m eager to share my perspective on the Synod of Bishops, I must first recount the beautiful scene this morning at the Canonization Mass, as seen from my breezy vantage point next to the Saints above the the south-west colonnades. “God, who does not wish for ...read more

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops plenary meeting had barely begun Monday morning when the floor was turned to its most highly anticipated speaker. This would be the first time that an Assembly of First Nations National Chief addressed the annual gathering. Phil Fontaine was set to chasten the Canadian bishops for their lack of ...read more