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Pope Francis: Vatican Begins Landmark Synod To Discuss Family Life

Pope Francis opens the synod with a mass at the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica on Sunday morning 5 October 2014
Pope Francis opened the synod with a mass at the Vatican’s St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning

Pope Francis and more than 200 senior bishops are meeting at the Vatican to discuss some of the most controversial issues affecting the Catholic Church.

They will be joined by lay Catholics to debate abortion, contraception, homosexuality and divorce.

The extraordinary synod lasts two weeks and a follow-up meeting will be held next year.

Pope Francis said on Saturday that he wanted bishops to really listen to the Catholic community.

He said he hoped they would have a “sincere, open and fraternal” discussion that would respond to the “epochal changes” that families were living through.

Last year, a global survey launched by Pope Francis suggested that the majority of Catholics reject Church teaching on issues such as sex and contraception.

A priest takes a picture as Pope Francis celebrates a Mass to mark the opening of the synod on the family in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican October 5 2014
Many Catholics hope that Pope Francis’ reformist attitude will help to modernise and revitalise an ailing Church
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014
Pope Francis was elected to lead the Church in a papal enclave in 2013 after his predecessor Benedict XI retired
vigil prayers before the Synod 4 October 2014
On Saturday, Pope Francis led crowds in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square in a vigil to prepare for the Synod

As one of the world’s oldest religious institutions, the Catholic Church is in no hurry to change its teachings, says the BBC’s religious affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt in Rome.

No-one should expect rapid results from this Synod, but many Catholics are hoping that it will bring some change, our correspondent adds.

After these two weeks of debate, the Synod will gather again in a year’s time to continue its review.

The Catholic Church has more than one billion members around the world.

BBC.