No official English translation of the Italian language document has been published as yet by the Vatican.

The synod's final report has three parts - "The Church listens to the family", "The family in the design of God", and "The mission of the family".

The English translation can be found here.

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The story included a quote by Cardinal Napier seemingly challenging the right of Pope Francis to appoint members of a commission to draft the synod on the family's final document.

But after Cardinal Napier protested, examination of a recording of an interview he gave revealed a journalist was speaking while the cardinal was saying a key word.

Cardinal Napier was stressing he was not challenging the Pope's right to appoint members.

The quote was removed from the story after the cardinal's protest.

While Allen did not write the article, he oversaw its publication and had listened to the interview before the story went public.

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Cardinal Wilfred Napier of Durban told Crux that he shares concerns about "the choice of the people that are writing up the final document" for the synod.

Pope Francis appointed a 10-member commission to put together the final synod document, which will be submitted to the Pontiff.

"If we're going to get a fair expression of what the synod is about, [such as] what the Church in Africa really would like to see happening," Cardinal Napier said, then different people should be chosen.

"We wouldn't like to see the same kind of people on that committee who were there the last time, who caused us the grief that we had."

Cardinal Napier was referring to a controversial interim report in 2014 that seemed to embrace a progressive line on some debated questions.

One reported version of the letter, allegedly signed by 13 cardinals and given to the Pontiff on the first day of the synod, was sharply critical.

It stated the synod process "seems designed to facilitate predetermined results on important disputed questions".

Four of the alleged signatories subsequently said they had never signed the document or supported its arguments.

After he received the letter, Pope Francis reportedly told synod participants not to give into a "hermeneutic of conspiracy" that is "sociologically weak and spiritually unhelpful".

Cardinal Napier acknowledged signing a letter, but said its content was different from that presented in early news reports.

The letter he signed, he told Crux, was specifically about the 10-member commission preparing the final document.

US Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who is a member of the final document drafting commission, defended its make-up.

"It looks to me like it reflects the makeup of the synod," he said.

There have been reports that the initiative to send a letter to Pope Francis complaining about the synod process came from Cardinal George Pell.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, one of the alleged signatories, said a letter highlighting several perceived problems with the synod process was sent to Pope Francis before the synod began.

Sources

• Crux
• Associated Press
• Reuters
• National Catholic Reporter
• Catholic World News
• Image: Irish Times

The synod, which runs from October 4-25, has as its theme: "The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world."

Its final document is expected to be voted on and presented to Pope Francis on the last day of the synod.

Synod secretary-general Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri told reporters he did not know whether Pope Francis would decide to write an apostolic exhortation based on the synod's final document.

But Cardinal Baldisseri said the synod bishops would give the Pope "a document, not a list of propositions".

He also said the ten members of the drafting committee would also be charged with guarding against manipulation of the discussions by any group of individuals.

One report stated that the 10-member committee - which will have representation from five "continents" - will "supervise the work of the synod" over the three weeks.

The Vatican said a "new methodology" will be used for the overall synod in order to facilitate more dialogue and discussion between the prelates.

Each week will begin with open discussion on a theme and will conclude with small group discussions on that theme.

The bishops will repeat the cycle for the three weeks of the synod, dealing with the three main sections of the synod working document in turn.

The three sections of the working document, or "Instrumentum Laboris", are titled "Listening to the challenges of the family", "Discernment of the family vocation" and "The mission of the family today."

The 13 small discussion groups will present written observations, to be made public, at the end of each week.

But individual texts of bishops' remarks will not be made public, as they must feel able to speak freely.

There will also be no synod mid-term report as there was last year.

Sources

• Catholic World News
• National Catholic Reporter
• National Catholic Register
• National Catholic Register
• Image: Church Militant