Cardinals call on Pope Francis to clarify church doctrines

A group of five Roman Catholic cardinals on Monday published a set of questions they say they sent to the pope in August. The questions, or dubia, request clarification on women’s ordination, the blessing of same-sex marriages, and the authority of Synod of Synodality. The synod is a closed-door gathering of 450 bishops and laypeople who will meet this month to discuss hot-button topics within the church. The cardinals wrote on Monday they are concerned that some of the synod’s decisions may contradict traditional Roman Catholic Church doctrine.

Is this the first time these issues have been raised? The cardinals said they sent the original set of dubia to Francis on July 10 and received his response the next day. But instead of responding with typical yes-or-no answers, they said the pope provided longer answers that only deepened their theological concerns.  As a result, they sent the pope revised dubia on Aug. 21, rephrased to be answered with a reply of “yes” or “no.”  As of Monday, Oct. 2, they had not received a reply.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report in WORLD Magazine about the upcoming synod.