Pope Francis has opened a big meeting on the future of the Catholic Church. He says the church is in need of repair to make it a place of welcome for “everyone, everyone, everyone.” He says it shouldn t be a rigid barricade riven by fears and ideology. Francis presided over a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square to formally open the meeting Wednesday. Progressives are hoping it will lead to more women in leadership roles and conservatives are warning could split the church. The meeting won’t make any binding decisions and is only the first session of a two-year process. But it nevertheless has drawn an acute battle line in the church’s perennial left-right divide.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis said the Catholic Church needed to be rebuilt to make it a place of welcome for "everyone, everyone, everyone," as he opened a divisive meeting on the future of the church that has sparked hope among progressives and alarm among conservatives.Francis presided over a solem
Pope Francis opened a big meeting on the future of the Catholic Church on Wednesday by saying it was in need of repair to make it a place of welcome for “everyone, everyone, everyone,” not a rigid barricade riven by fears and ideology. Francis presided over a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square to formally…