Vatican City, Oct 25, 2018 / 12:54 pm (CNA).- Women, including religious and consecrated women, have had an active role in the 2018 synod of bishops: they have listened to the synod’s discussions, spoken on the floor of the synod hall, participated in small discussion groups of synod participants, and helped draft key synod texts.

Yet women will not be voting on the final text of the synod document, and some at the meeting have asked why not.

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2018 / 11:00 am (CNA).- The synod of bishops on young people, the faith, and vocational discernment is being held at the Vatican Oct. 3-28.

CNA plans to provide a brief regular summary of the sessions, provided by the synodal fathers from Poland.

Please find below the Polish fathers' summary of the Oct. 24 session:

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2018 / 03:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis said that engaged couples require “careful preparation” for the lifelong fidelity that marriage requires.

“One cannot say marriage preparation is three or four conferences given in the parish. This is not preparation,” Pope Francis said in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 24, in a departure from his prepared remarks.

Vatican City, Oct 23, 2018 / 01:01 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis spoke about the wisdom and knowledge of the faith older people can share with the young at a book presentation Tuesday.

“One of the virtues of grandparents is that they have seen many things in their lives,” the pope said Oct. 23. “I advise [grandparents to have] a lot of love, a lot of tenderness… and prayers” for the young people in their lives who have left the faith.