[NCR] It was less than two weeks into Pope Francis' high-stakes Vatican summit on the future of the Catholic Church when multiple reports emerged about participating delegates storming out of the room.
In one case, a bishop didn't want to be photographed sitting next to a priest with whom he had numerous disagreements. In another, a cardinal believed that the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops was a misnomer because it now included the equal participation of the laity — a criticism that has reverberated throughout the monthlong meeting.
The incidents weren't exactly a surprise, as the roughly 450 bishops and lay delegates taking part in the assembly had been warned by one of the synod's principal organizers that tensions in the room would emerge.
AMDG