SALT LAKE CITY — The ninth World Congress of Families begins Tuesday (Oct. 27) with a parade of national flags carried by International Children's Choir members; an invocation by Rabbi Avremi Zippel, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah; and a keynote address by a Mormon apostle.
Organizers tout the four-day meeting as "the largest gathering of pro-family advocates in the world," attracting more than 3,000 participants and some 185 speakers, including scholars, researchers, religious leaders and activists.
VATICAN CITY – The most significant and contested gathering of Roman Catholic bishops in the last 50 years formally ended on Sunday (Oct. 25) after three weeks of debate and dispute, but the arguments over who "won" and who "lost" are only beginning.
The synod of 270 cardinals and bishops from around the world was the second in a year called by Pope Francis to address how and whether Catholicism could adapt its teachings to the changing realities of modern family life. Traditionalists had taken a hard line against any openings, especially after last October's meeting seemed to point toward possible reforms.
