Rushed preparations, soaring pilgrim numbers and underwhelming financial returns defined a Jubilee Year shaped by an unexpected papal transition.

When the Second Vatican Council opened in 1962, its proceedings were shrouded in secrecy. Then, unexpectedly, a mysterious byline appeared in The New Yorker: Xavier Rynne. In a series of explosive dispatches,

The consultant emphasized that the pontifical document is a doctrinal note that “deepens, clarifies, and states that these terms are not appropriate, they are not opportune, simply because Mary participates in the redemption, she collaborates in the redemption, but not in the same way as Jesus.”

(RNS) — A Vatican-appointed commission says current church teaching does not allow women to be ordained as Catholic deacons. Advocates for women deacons describe the decision as discouraging and warn it could push some women away from the church.