Vatican synod plants the seeds of change

The just-concluded Synod of Bishops has fueled intense debate over where the Catholic Church stands on issues that it has long considered as taboo.

Pope Francis wanted the gathering of 191 bishops at the Vatican to be a free-wheeling forum on Church teachings and views affecting the family. ‘Speak clearly,’ he exhorted the prelates. “No one must say, ‘This can’t be said.’”