A date for a new papal statement on the Doctrine of Discovery, promised by Pope Francis on his way home from Canada to Rome, has not been announced. But whenever it happens, it is likely to address core concerns of Indigenous people in Canada and in many other parts of the world.
The Brazilian delegation to the Sept. 22-24 Economy of Francesco international meeting in Assisi will include a group of Black activists whose goal is to emphasize the importance of debating racial issues associated with potential economic transformations.
With preparations for the continental phase of the Synod on Synodality underway, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops recently published its national synod report that highlights a general desire for a better listening and welcoming church, with more co-responsibility between clergy and laity, and for church leadership to be more vocal in the public square.
When Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny visited Auschwitz to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Edith Stein, he also prayed for his grandmother who died there -- a Catholic whose parents were born Jewish.
When deadly, racially motivated violence erupted in a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, a Pittsburgh synagogue, a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and most recently in Buffalo, New York, Catholic Church leaders have responded.