At the end of the three week gathering, the bishops agreed to a qualified opening toward divorcees who have remarried outside the Church and currently cannot receive communion.

But the final document effectively sidestepped the issue of whether the Church should use more welcoming language towards homosexuals - a topic that threw a preliminary meeting into turmoil a year ago.

On Saturday, the pope excoriated Church leaders who he said sometimes bury their heads in the sand and hide behind rigid doctrine while families suffer..

The overall results appeared to be a qualified victory for Francis, who is the final arbiter and will now write his own major document on family issues.