Major changes could soon be coming to the Catholic Church

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     October 6, 2023 Hi y’all. I’m Katie Herchenroeder, a fellow here at Mother Jones. Today, I wrote about why [US conservative Catholics are mad as hell]( and anxious over the transformational announcements that may come out of a major gathering Pope Francis is hosting right now. The conference, officially called the "Synod on Synodality," has brought delegates from around the world to discuss the future of the Catholic Church. And there are some hot topics on the docket. Namely, the pope is opening up dialogue on blessing gay unions and ordaining women as priests. The topics have alarmed one particular group: conservative Catholics in the United States. One New York City priest, the Reverend Gerald Murray, worried publicly that the pope "will authorize things that are not contained in Catholic doctrine or that will contradict it,” like women deacons or blessing gay unions. “We’re not Protestants,” he said, [per]( the Washington Post. You can read more about the [squabble]( between the pope and right-wing Catholics [here](. Spoiler: Francis can get a bit quippy. Chat soon, —Katie Herchenroeder Advertisement [Run for Something]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Former Santos Treasurer Nancy Marks Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Schemes]( The agreement comes with a recommendation that she serve up to four years in prison. BY NOAH LANARD AND DAVID CORN SPONSORED CONTENT FROM RUN FOR SOMETHING   Read the room: we need you in our democracy Last year, more than 2,500 different book bans were enacted in schools across the country. Community members just like you are protecting books that address core issues like race, sexuality, and gender. A brighter future lies in empowering young and diverse voices to run for office. [Learn more here.]( [Trending] [Massive changes could be coming from the Vatican. Conservative US Catholics are mad as hell.]( BY KATIE HERCHENROEDER   [X-cluded: Elon's no-headlines update sucks for accessibility]( BY JULIA MÉTRAUX   [Trump isn't really trying to win his fraud trial]( BY RUSS CHOMA   [Big Oil has a big presence on the boards of California's public universities]( BY DHARNA NOOR Advertisement [Run for Something]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [A riveting new documentary explores the near extinction of the American buffalo]( Ken Burns' latest documentary explores how a group of racists, grifters, and reformed hide hunters helped bring back the species. BY JACKIE FLYNN MOGENSEN [We need help!] Journalism is in trouble, and keeping Mother Jones’ finances on track is harder than it’s ever been. Our fall fundraising campaign ends on Wednesday, October 11, and we need to see a huge [outpouring of support]( in these final days to raise [the money it takes]( to keep Mother Jones charging hard—during this financially uncertain, immensely high-stakes year. There’s more about why [this is a legitimately urgent moment for us here](, and we hope you’ll support the unique journalism you get in the Mother Jones Daily with a donation of any amount today. $5, $50, or $500—it all matters and is deeply appreciated right now. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755