Synod 2015: Initial Media Reactions

Within minutes of the release of the much-anticipated Relazione Finale, as well as a surprise address made by Pope Francis to the Synod Fathers, the media spin went into overdrive. Like most faithful Catholics, I will withhold any detailed comment on the document until an official translation has been provided. Until then, we can poke fun at the huge spectrum of spin being put on the matter. Here are the major headlines published to date. The articles can be accessed by clicking on the link in the titles:

• Bishops Hand Pope Defeat On His Outreach to Divorced Catholics - Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal
• Synod Verdict: The Catholic Church Is Still Catholic - Tim Stanley, The Telegraph
• The Vatican Synod On The Family Is Over And The Conservatives Have Won - Damian Thompson, The Spectator
• Final Synod Document Strongly Backs Church Teaching, Beauty of Family Life - Elise Harris, Catholic News Agency
• Catholic Bishops End Divisive Synod of Family - Caroline Wyatt, BBC
• Synod Ends With No Consensus on Communion or Homosexuality - Elena Curti, The Tablet
• Catholic Bishops Call For Church To Be More Welcoming Towards Gays, Other Groups - Nicole Winfield & Daniela Petroff, Time
• Vatican Synod Holds Its Line On Gay Couples But Offers New Hope to Catholic Divorcees - Rosie Scammell, The Guardian
• Tense Vatican Summit Ends By Opening Door For Divorced, Punting On Welcome To Gays - David Gibson, Religion News Services
• After The Synod, Can Catholics Put Humpty Dumpty Together Again? - John L. Allen, Crux
• Synod Offers Striking Softening To Remarried, Proposing Individual Discernment - Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter
• The Synod Approves Final Document, Leaves The Door Open For The Pope To Move Forward On Key Issues - Gerald O'Connel, America

Perhaps nothing captures the spirit of subterfuge and obfuscation permeating certain strains of coverage of this event as does the following tweet from Austen Ivereigh:

For the record, synod doc does not open door to d&r Catholics to receive Communion. But nor does it shut it.

— Austen Ivereigh (@austeni) October 24, 2015