Vatican defends reports of synod after pope’s words disputed

However, Francis did note that while Catholics are called to teach and defend “fundamental values”, they should also embrace “the man who falls or who errs”.

But the week before the assembly – known as a synod – was marked by a number of controversies involving gay people. Days later, the Vatican fired a priest who announced publicly he was gay and had a boyfriend.

Anything the Synod produces, however, will only be provisional.

Reciting the Angelus prayer after Mass, Pope Francis said the 270 synod members would keep their “gaze fixed on Jesus to identify – on the basis of his teaching of truth and mercy – the best paths” for helping families “so that the Creator’s original plan for man and woman can be realized and can function in all its beauty and strength in the world”. He told bishops to be more welcoming to divorced couples.

The document that lays out what the bishops are supposed to work on has three paragraphs on gay issues.

It is here, he said, that the Church is called to live out her mission by first evaluating to what extent she is living as the family of God.

The limited involvement of women in the synod was seen as a lost chance by Tina Beattie, professor of Catholic studies at the University of Roehampton in London.

He said Christian faith was “not a museum to look at and save” but should be a source of inspiration.

And it emphasizes that health care workers who oppose abortion have “the moral obligation of conscientious objection”.

The Pope’s visit to the United States this September was one of the most talked about, reported, and oddly enough, controversial events of 2015.

As it stands, Catholics who have divorced and remarried may not receive communion, one of the sacraments, unless the church has annulled their first marriage. Just 6 percent say they have a more negative view of the church because of Francis, and overall, 58 percent of Americans say their view of the church has not changed very much. 50% of Catholics also have more positive opinions, with 22% non-Catholics favoring the Church as well.

This back-and-forth approach has confounded both conservative and progressive Catholics, especially as Francis implements subtle changes to how the Church handles other family-related issues.

After Baldisseri’s statement, Francis gave a surprise address on Tuesday morning, complaining of a “hermeneutics of conspiracy” that he said was “sociologically weak and spiritually unhelpful”. As Francis explains in another brief address to conference participants on Monday, the body cannot alter or change Church teaching, although it can put forward recommendations for consideration at other church gatherings.

It could take several months to a year or so after the synod ends.