Free Republic

Conservatives within the Catholic Church are trying to lay "poisoned bait" for Pope Francis, it has been claimed just days after the pontiff faced a rebellion from Vatican cardinals opposed to his more liberal stance. With the Pontiff mid-way through a Vatican summit on the family that has been dogged by scandal and rumours of plotting, Italian newspapers on Wednesday reported numerous accounts of plots to destabilise Pope Francis. Nello Scavo, a journalist at Avvenire, an Italian daily linked to the Catholic Church, told La Repubblica there was a concerted move to "weaken the character and the strength of Pope...

UPDATE 10/12/15 at 2:11 EST: A spokesperson for Cardinal Pell has issued a statement saying that "a private letter should remain private," and added that "there are errors in both the content and the list of signatories." However, he has confirmed that "concerns remain among many of the Synod Fathers about the composition of the drafting committee of the final relatio and about the process by which it will be presented to the Synod fathers and voted upon." He also said that "obviously there is some disagreement because minority elements want to change the Church's teachings on the proper dispositions necessary...

A group of cardinals – including some of the most powerful figures in the Catholic Church – have written to Pope Francis telling him that his Synod on the Family, now meeting in Rome, has gone badly off the rails and could cause the church to collapse.