Setback For Pope Francis As Synod Fails To Agree On Gays, Divorcees

Roman Catholic bishops on Saturday (Oct 17) failed to reach consensus
on opening the Church's doors to remarried divorcees and gays after a
special synod on the family, in a blow to Pope Francis.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said participants had approved a
"re-balanced" final report that took into account the concerns of the
most conservative members.

In a final vote on Saturday after two weeks of heated debate, three
paragraphs touching on the hot-button issues of a more welcome stance
towards gays and divorcees did not receive the two-thirds majority
needed. The vote closed a synod of bishops from around the world which
has seen conservatives clash publicly with liberals over a drive
spearheaded by the Pope to soften the Church's approach to sinners.

Francis, 77, has called for the Church to take a more merciful
approach to unwed mothers, remarried divorcees and gays, famously
saying of homosexuals, "Who am I to judge?"

Ahead of the vote, the cardinals overwhelmingly approved a message to
the world's 1.2 billion Catholics stressing the value of "unique and
indissoluble conjugal love" but without touching directly on
non-traditional unions.

A preliminary report on Monday, widely reported in Italian media, made
waves around the world by suggesting the Church should reach out to
homosexuals, who have "gifts and qualities to offer the Christian
community", outraging traditionalists who had to be reminded by the
Vatican that it was a work in progress. In the media glare, the synod
took on the proportions of a referendum on the Pope's audacious line,
while observers said the early reports may have backfired on
progressives seeking to steal the march on conservatives.

A fresh report Thursday summed up the reactions of 10 working groups
of bishops, which mixed declarations of respect for homosexuals with
fierce insistence that any opening up to sinners would imply the
Church condoned their behaviour.

'SOAP OPERA'

Before the vote, the fallout in the corridors of power, which Boston
Globe Vatican expert John Allen described as "like a daytime soap
opera", already caused at least one head to roll.

Outspoken Cardinal Raymond Burke, currently head of the Vatican's top
canon law court, confirmed to Buzzfeed that he will be removed from
the job to be made patron to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, an
honorary post. He told the US news website: "The Pope is not free to
change the Church's teachings with regard to the immorality of
homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine
of the faith."

The vote reflects the attitude of the top echelons of the Church
towards reform - and ultimately towards Francis's rule, which has been
coloured since his election in March 2013 by a determination to show
the more humane side of the centuries-old institution.

POSSIBLE 'REVOLUTION'

German Cardinal Walter Kasper, an ally of the Pope's who has been
pushing for reform, has said he believes the "majority" of those
taking part in the synod are open to change. Kasper suggested in
February that remarried divorcees should be allowed to take communion
under certain conditions.

Drafts of the document met with criticism for placing "too much
emphasis on the problems facing the family".

But the cardinals' message ahead of the vote said "conjugal love,
which is unique and indissoluble, endures despite many difficulties.
It is one of the most beautiful of all miracles and the most common".
It referred to marital infidelity as a "great challenge", adding:
"There are often crises in marriage, often confronted in haste and
without the courage to have patience and reflect, to make sacrifices
and to forgive one another."

Speaking of the family home, it painted an image of "the evening light
behind the windowpanes in the houses of the cities, in modest
residences of suburbs and villages, and even in mere shacks (shining)
from the encounter between spouses."

This synod will be followed by a year of consultations, and a
follow-up questionnaire will be sent out to dioceses around the world.
A second, larger synod will then be held in October 2015. After that,
the results will be handed to the Argentinian Pope, who will have the
final say in outlining the Church's stance on family matters.

Adolfo Nicolas, superior general of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits -
to which Francis belongs - told the I.Media religious news agency to
watch for a possible "revolution" a year from now.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, an ally of the Pope, said there was
no turning back. "There have been two steps forward, there may be one
step backwards, but certainly not two," he told reporters.
-- AFP/fl