Pope Francis not giving up on reforms

A potentially ground-breaking meeting of Roman Catholic Bishops is over.

The Vatican Synod ended Sunday with a ceremony honoring Pope Paul VI. He led the church during turbulent times in the 1960's and 70's.

The final document on the issues discussed and voted on in the Synod won't be ready until October 2015. The focus of the coming year will be almost exclusively on the three key clauses that did not make the grade of full approval.

Francis' reaction to the vote came under the cover of a mass to mark the end of the session, and -- coincidentally -- elevate Paul VI one step before sainthood. 

\"The church should not be afraid of change and new challenges,\" the Pope told the assembled bishops and a crowd of 70,000.

\"God is not afraid of new things,\" Pope Francis said.\"That is why he is continuously surprising us; opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways.\"

But when the upbeat tone regarding gays, cohabitation and re-marriage emerged in an interim report at the halfway point of the two week gathering, there was no surprise. Conservative bishops immediately pushed back; arguing that it would create confusion and undermine the traditional family.

The pope began the synod by urging bishops to speak their minds freely…and when it was over…told them he would have been \"worried and saddened\" if the they had not.