Pope wants to keep big Vatican meeting on the church's future behind closed doors, ideology-free

Source: Associated Press

Pope wants to keep big Vatican meeting on the church’s future behind closed doors, ideology-free

BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Updated 12:05 PM EDT, September 4, 2023

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis defended the decision to keep the discussions of a big Vatican meeting on the future of the Catholic Church behind closed doors, saying Monday the three-week conference was a religious moment for the church and “not a television program” that was open to scrutiny.

Francis was asked repeatedly on his way home from Mongolia about the Oct. 4-29 meeting, or synod of bishops, which is opening after an unprecedented two-year canvassing of rank-and-file Catholics around the globe about their hopes for the church.

Many Vatican watchers consider the synod to be a defining moment of the Francis pontificate, since the official agenda includes hot-button issues such as the role of women in decision-making roles in the church, the acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics and celibacy for priests.

While the synod is not a decision-making body, many Catholics who participated in the pre-meeting consultations are eager to see how their contributions are considered or not by the bishops and laypeople who were chosen to represent them. In a novelty, Francis has allowed laypeople including women to have a vote alongside bishops on specific proposals that will be put forward for the pope’s consideration.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/synod-vatican-pope-conservative-media-8839abd4564149854ab02586c5342941