Catholic bishops from around the globe who met to discuss family issues published a final report mapping out the Vatican's current stance on diverse social and cultural situations and charting a path for re-thinking its pastoral approach to them.
To promote transparency, the Pope took the unusual step of publishing the final report with vote counts on each paragraph to indicate how many bishops gave their support.
They reached wide consensus for nearly every section except paragraphs on homosexuality and offering Holy Communion to re-married Catholics, neither of which received a two-thirds majority.
The final report will no doubt draw scrutiny worldwide, after an earlier draft report released midway through the Synod used positive and welcoming language about divorced and remarried couples, as well as gay people. The draft report merely summed up closed door discussions and was not voted on, but it showed a progressive shift in tone among some Church leaders that was not ratified in the final report.
The New York Times and other media outlets called the final report a "watering down" of the language in the preliminary report.
The two-week Synod - which means "journeying together" - was called by Pope Francis to open up free discussion on family issues to be continued in a larger Synod of Bishops in October 2015.
Pope Francis closed out the meeting with a passionate speech, arguing that its heated debate and animated discussion among Church leaders constituted success. Making a Biblical analogy, he said it showed the Church to be the bride of Christ, faithful to her spouse and doctrine, but also the Church that - like Jesus - eats with prostitutes and publicans, opening its doors wide.
A separate closing message of the Vatican's Synod on the Family, also released Saturday, reflects the Church's deep empathy for the struggles of families around the world. It expresses concern for refugees, those caring for children with special needs, parents out of work, and couples having difficulties remaining faithful.
Kathryn Elliott covers the Vatican, Pope Francis and all things related to the Catholic Church for HNGN. She is a producer for EWTN News Nightly, an international cable news show airing weeknights at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST on the Global Catholic Television Network. Kathryn has reported for the National Catholic Register, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Catholic Spirit, The Minnesota Daily and The Word Among Us Magazine. She has a BA in professional journalism from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Kathryn lives in Washington D.C. Follow her on Twitter at @kmelliott90.
