Pope Francis has told over 200 Catholic bishops and cardinals gathered in Rome, that they must listen hard to the "beat of this age".
The Pontiff made the comment as he opened a two week landmark assembly – where members of the Catholic Church will debate a series of contentious social issues, including same-sex marriage contraception and whether to allow remarried divorcees to take Communion.
In his homily at St Peter’s Basilica today, Pope Francis called on bishops to avoid intellectual one-upmanship and instead work creatively to establish how the church can take into consideration the realities of Catholics’ lives.
Fr. Adrian Egan, a member of the Association of Catholic Priests, says the Pope faces resistance from many conservative cardinals
