Pope Francis wants only blessings for the Church, and desires to make the Church a place where everyone is welcome. He wants to study the needs of the Church and has begun this process by calling a Synod, which will face the issues of family life.

There will be three stages. First, the time leading up to the Synod. Second, the Synod itself and third, the Church after the Synod. The Synod will be a watershed. The desire to accommodate and to be open will come at a high price. People will speak up. Some guided by heaven and others guided by hell.

Before the Synod, survey results will be revealed by those who want to influence the outcome. At the Synod itself, some bishops will say things that will break with traditional morality. Others will make suggestions that cannot be followed. All of that will lead to the time after the Synod.

Some, to the far right, will have difficulty in accepting the tone of the Synod. The vast majority of Catholics will wonder what took place and just what was determined. There is a third group which has advocated serious changes in the Church’s teachings concerning family life issues. They will see the Synod as the vindication, at long last, of their positions (even though this was not explicitly said).

After the Synod, the Church will be known as the Church of Pope Francis. More than anything else, the Synod will put its stamp on this pontificate, just as Vatican II did for Pope John XXIII.

The Church, however, will not be ready for the fierce battles that lie ahead. It will not be a Church formed by the Woman Clothed With the Sun, nor will it be able to confront the great forces that are shaping the world. The Church of Pope Francis will not be ready. It will be a popular, accepting and open Church but will not be ready for the future events.