Pope wants to keep big Vatican meeting on the church’s future behind closed doors, ideology-free
Associated PressABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis defended the decision to keep the discussions of a big Vatican meeting on the future of the Catholic Church behind closed doors, saying Monday the three-week conference was a religious moment for the church and “not a television program” that was open to scrutiny. Many Vatican watchers consider the synod to be a defining moment of the Francis pontificate, since the official agenda includes hot-button issues such as the role of women in decision-making roles in the church, the acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics and celibacy for priests. Asked if journalists would have access to the meeting, Francis insisted the deliberation would be “very open,” with developments reported by a Vatican commission headed by the Holy See’s communications chief, Paolo Ruffini. In a forward to a recent book, American Cardinal Raymond Burke warned the synod was like opening a “Pandora’s Box.” Francis said such concerns were evidence of ideology infecting the process.
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