In his closing speech, Pope Francis hit out hard at those who have sought to hinder his efforts.

The synod significantly closed no doors.

Archbishop Paul-André Durocher of Gatineau, Canada, told America in an interview that violence against women is a “whole social phenomenon we’re still not dealing with adequately."

If the synod is a crisis, then what would the conclave of 1799-1800 be considered?

There was general appreciation for the draft final text because the synod fathers recognized that it reflected faithfully what they had said in the group discussions.

Pope Francis called for a different kind of synod, something that was both new to most of us and yet also deeply rooted in our tradition. And that different kind of synod would inevitably have bumpy spots.