Pope Francis has told the Catholic Church that it should not be afraid of change, at the end of a two-week synod on the family in which divisions within the clergy on gays and divorced people came to the fore.
The synod's final document showed openings on these issues that appeared in a half-way working document had largely been reversed. Vote counts published by the Vatican showed that three controversial articles, including the final version of one concerning gays, won an absolute majority but failed to get the two-thirds vote needed for a broad consensus.
"God is not afraid of new things. That is why he is continuously surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways," the pope said during a Mass on Sunday at which he beatified Pope Paul VI. At the weekend, the pope told around 200 bishops that it was necessary for conservatives to avoid "hostile rigidity" but also warned liberals against "destructive good will".
The first version of the synod document spoke of "accepting and valuing their sexual orientations" and giving gays "a welcoming home" and also mentioned the "gifts and qualities" homosexuals have to offer.
Those parts were deleted from the final document.
The final version stressed that there was "no foundation" to compare homosexual unions with heterosexual marriage.
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