October 2, 2023

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Five cardinals have sent a set of questions to Pope Francis to express their concerns and seek clarification on points of doctrine and discipline ahead of this week’s opening of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican. The cardinals said they submitted five questions, called “dubia,” on August 21 requesting clarity on topics relating to doctrinal development, the blessing of same-sex unions, the authority of the Synod on Synodality, women’s ordination, and sacramental absolution. Dubia are formal questions brought before the pope and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) aimed at eliciting a “yes” or “no” response, without theological argumentation. The word “dubia” is the plural form of “dubium,” which means “doubt” in Latin. They are typically raised by cardinals or other high-ranking members of the Church and are meant to seek clarification on matters of doctrine or Church teaching. The cardinals say they have not yet received a response to the reformulated dubia sent to the pope on August 21. For more information about the dubia, visit catholic news agency dot com. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255534/cardinals-send-dubia-to-pope-francis-ahead-of-synod-on-synodality Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals from across the world at a Saturday morning consistory in Saint Peter’s Square, reflecting on how the geographic expansion of the Church’s leadership represents a fulfillment of the promise of Pentecost. “You new cardinals have come from different parts of the world, and the same Spirit that made the evangelization of your peoples fruitful now renews in you your vocation and mission in and for the Church,” the pope in his homily for the event told the new cardinals, 18 of whom are under age 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave. The September 30 consistory, which