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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

Pope Francis urges bishops to make Catholic Church 'open to all'

Newly elected cardinals pose with Pope Francis after a mass on the opening day of the 16th Synod of Bishops, at St Peter's square in The Vatican, on 4 October 2023. © AFP / ANDREAS SOLARO

Pope Francis called on Catholic leaders to make the Church more welcoming for all, as he opened a global gathering of bishops and laypeople at the Vatican on Wednesday to discuss the future of the Catholic Church.

Delivering a homily in St Peter's Square at the start of the first meeting of Church leaders, or synod, in four years, the pope said bishops should avoid "human strategies, political calculations or ideological battles".

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