The Vatican backtracked on the comments it released on Monday about a discussion document suggesting a radical shift in the Catholic Church's view on gays, after being taken aback by the stir that it caused.

Senior church leaders attending the synod in Rome yesterday said the public might have misinterpreted the contents of the said document. The said document contained a summary of the bishops' discussion last week of important family issues, the Irish Times relayed.

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Yesterday, the Vatican started its press conference with a Holy See statement that seemed to blast the media for misinterpreting the discussion of the synod.

"The Secretariat of the Synod...  wish to point out that this is a working document," the Vatican said of the discussion document called Relation Post Disceptationem.

When asked if the leaders at the synod were "disowning" the released document, South African cardinal Wilfred Fox Napier responded by saying they are working on the Relatio to see if they can vote for it, and were surprised at all the hubbub it has caused.

The document mentioned two very important issues including expediting marriage annulments and welcoming gays in the Church, the report detailed.

In paragraph 50, the Relatio used inclusive language when it talked about homosexual individuals' role in Christian life. At present, the Catholic Church teaches that practicing homosexuality is a sin, but the document projected a different tone on the issue.

The released document asked if Christians are capable of welcoming homosexuals who can offer their "gifts and qualities" to the Church without compromising the latter's family doctrines. It also described how the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community desire to feel welcomed by the Church.

Cardinal Napier and Cardinal Ferdinando Filoni, who heads the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, suggested the media should see the Relatio as a work in progress. The final discussion document of the synod will be released on Saturday.

Moreover, the cardinal denied reports that the purpose of the synod was to discuss marriage annulments, same-sex relationships and abortion. The synod was called to tackle family issues and problems that Christian families are facing, he explained.

Although the backtrack was meant to deal with media misinterpretation of the released document, there are some who think it was because of the division between conservative and progressive groups within the synod, the report stated.

TagsVatican, Welcoming LGBT, Relatio Post Disceptationem, discussion document, Vatican bishops synod