The Pontiff made the comments in a wide-ranging interview by Argentine daily, La Nacion.

Addressing the turmoil his papacy is causing with conservative-minded groups, Francis says he's pleased the issues are in the open.

It's a "good sign" that there isn't "hidden mumbling when there is disagreement", he said.

Pastoral care of homosexuals

Asked about the Synod itself and especially about homosexuals, Francis said the Synod did not talk about same-sex marriage but how to accompany gay people.

"Nobody mentioned homosexual marriage at the synod; it did not cross our minds. What we did talk about was of how a family with a homosexual child, whether a son or a daughter, goes about educating that child, how the family bears up, how to help that family to deal with that somewhat unusual situation.

"We have to find a way to help that father or that mother to stand by their son or daughter. That's what the synod addressed. That's why someone mentioned positive factors in the first draft. But this was just a draft."

On the question of divorced and remarried Catholics, Francis said that these people are treated as though they are excommunicated and the Synod considered what door can the Church open to these people.

Divorce and remarriage

"In the case of divorcees who have remarried, we posed the question, what do we do with them? What door can we allow them to open? This was a pastoral concern: will we allow them to go to Communion?

"Communion alone is no solution.

"The solution is integration.

"They have not been excommunicated, true. But they cannot be godfathers to any child being baptized, mass readings are not for divorcees, they cannot give communion, they cannot teach Sunday school, there are about seven things that they cannot do, I have the list over there.

"Come on! If I disclose any of this it will seem that they have been excommunicated in fact!

"Thus, let us open the doors a bit more.

"Why cant they be godfathers and godmothers? 'No, no, no, what testimony will they be giving their godson?'

"The testimony of a man and a woman saying "my dear, I made a mistake, I was wrong here, but I believe our Lord loves me, I want to follow God, I was not defeated by sin, I want to move on.

"Anything more Christian than that?

"And what if one of the political crooks among us, corrupt people, are chosen to be somebody's godfather.

"If they are properly wedded by the Church, would we accept them? What kind of testimony will they give to their godson? A testimony of corruption?

"Things need to change, our standards need to change.

Personal life, Curia reform and Cardinal Burke

Francis also talked frankly about aspects of his personal life, the upcoming reform of the Vatican bureaucracy and the new position for Cardinal Burke.

Acknowledging that reforming the Curia is complex and will take a little longer than people might expect, Pope Francis confirmed the decision to transfer Cardinal Burke was decided long before the Synod.

"So it is not true that I removed him because of how he had behaved in the Synod", the pontiff said.

Sources

• The Independent
• Irish Times
• NCR
• Image: Modern Thrill

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga said the synod's focus will be mainly on "pastoral conversion" in how the Church forms and nourishes marriage and families.

The cardinal explained that Pope Francis has identified the "lack of family" is the "most important problem affecting the world nowadays".

October's synod has raised hopes that a change might be considered in the Church's pastoral practices in areas like Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.

Cardinal Maradiaga said: "The doctrine [on marriage] is not going to change because indissolubility of marriage comes from Jesus."

"It's the word of God that says what God has united men do not separate."

But the cardinal did expect to see some changes in pastoral practice relating to care of families.

A key question is whether some couples who are divorced every truly experienced the sacrament of marriage, Cardinal Maradiaga continued.

"It's not a matter of giving or not giving the Communion, that's another subject. It's not the most important. The main concern is: Is there a sacrament or there is not?"

Giving the example of a couple that gets married out of pressure because they are having a baby together, Cardinal Rodríguez said: "We cannot talk of a sacrament there because one of the conditions of a sacrament is freedom, freedom of choice."

He also suggested that the synod may consider some way of streamlining the process for Catholics who seek annulments of their marriages by "trying to give more possibilities to the local tribunals to take the cases of people".

Cardinal Maradiaga heads the council of eight cardinals that advises Pope Francis on reform of Church governance.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• National Catholic Register
• Image: LAC Press