Bishops call for more inclusion of women in church decisions

The draft of the document given to the bishops at the beginning of the synod, for example, specifically used the acronym L.G.B.T. – bad, gay, bibadual and transgender – unlike the final version. Some Catholics had welcomed its use as a sign that their church listened to them while speaking their language.

As the final project renewed "the church's commitment to all discrimination and gender-based violence," this section got the most negative votes: 65 "no" votes and 178 positive votes.

Receiving the Synod participants' paper on Saturday – 249 eligible clergy and 90 other experts and listeners – Pope Francis described the synod as "a protected space" where the Holy Spirit could operate.

It is the third synod convened by Francis, now in the fifth year of his papacy; one in the Amazon region is scheduled for next year.

Compared to the previous two synods on the family, when the issue of communion with divorced and remarried Catholics provoked an open dissent against Francis, participants spoke of an open, enthusiastic and relaxed atmosphere. Many attributed the presence of 34 listeners aged 18 to 29.

In keeping with Francis's vision of an ascending church, the document calls on young people to badume leadership roles in their Catholic communities and dioceses, working alongside priests and bishops to build stronger networks of churches. .

One of the concrete proposals in the document was the establishment of an International Youth Advisory Council.

In a letter addressed to the Pope and read Friday night at an impromptu variety show, the 34 young participants at the synod told Francis that they shared his vision of an "outgoing church, open to all, especially to the weakest, church of the hospital. "