Jesuitical

He was a French novice living in a desert monastery in Syria. She was a journalist from Texas who wanted to become a nun. Then, they fell in love. I know, it sounds like a rom-com. But that is, in fact, how this week’s guest, Stephanie Saldaña, met her husband—and it’s not even the most fascinating part of her story. Today, Stephanie lives with her family in Jerusalem where she writes and teaches. In 2016, she started Mosaic Stories, a project that seeks to preserve the cultural heritage of the war-torn Middle East. We ask Stephanie what lessons the monastery has for family life, what she has learned raising children in a conflict zone and what her unique path to marriage taught her about discerning between two loves. In Signs of the Times, Pope Francis announces a summit of sex abuse and sources say the Vatican and China are close to a deal over the status of bishops; Catholics and Buddhists team up to provide green housing for seniors; a bishop skydives for donations; a new institute prepares Catholic wo