ROME – As summer winds down in Rome and the city fills up with reluctant vacationers getting back to the grind, Pope Francis has kicked off what promises to be a true autunno caldo, or "hot autumn" at the Vatican.
For Francis, this autumn promises to be one of his busiest yet, with two international trips, as well as presiding over a consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals and leading a month-long Synod of Bishops.
He also recently announced that he is writing an updated version of his 2015 eco-encyclical Laudato Si on care for the environment, and the Vatican’s ongoing megatrial featuring 10 defendants indicted for various financial crimes, including Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, is set to close.
