Pope calls for a more caring Church

Pope Francis closed a contentious bishops’ meeting on family issues yesterday, calling for a more open-hearted, compassionate Church rooted in people’s lives and not a programmatic, arid one that fears changes and challenges.

At the end of the three-week gathering, the bishops agreed to a qualified opening toward divorcees who have remarried outside the Church and currently cannot receive communion.

But the final document effectively sidestepped the issue of whether the Church should use more welcoming language towards homosexuals - a topic that threw a preliminary meeting into turmoil a year ago.