Pope's Irish visit to be discussed in coming days
A possible visit of the Pope to Ireland is expected to be discussed at a gathering of bishops over the coming days.
Global leaders of the Catholic Church are meeting in the Vatican to discuss the role of the family, and the Church's attitudes to gay people.
Pope Francis has said the Church remains opposed to same-sex marriage.
The Synod has been overshadowed by the sacking of Vatican official Monsignor Krzystof Charamsa, who came out in the media yesterday.
Christian Today journalist Ruth Gledhill said: "One story is the Church's celibacy rule for priesthood (and the other is homosexuality).
"The fact is if he was a gay man who wasn’t a priest, the Church would still expect him to be celibate…That's the point he's making - just because people are gay, does this mean they're not made in God's image?"
