The synod of bishops and cardinals at the Vatican has scrapped on Saturday, a landmark document welcoming homosexuals and remarried divorcees, suggesting deep divisions among leaders in the direction Pope Francis is charting for a more inclusive Roman Catholic Church.

The Vatican released a draft document midway through the two-week synod on issues concerning Catholic families last week, with sections referring to a more welcoming stance toward gays and remarried divorcees.

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One of the statements indicated positions not contrary to Catholicism's long standing doctrines opposing same-sex unions, but has been widely interpreted as reflective of the Pope's less harsh view on "people of homosexual orientation."

In what was seen as the first sign of more merciful policies toward homosexuals, Pope Francis made headlines last year, when he referred to gays with the controversial statement "Who am I to judge?"

However on Saturday, the synod failed to pass even the watered down versions of earlier texts.

The new statement read, "people with homosexual tendencies must be welcomed with respect and delicacy," but reiterated, the doctrine of marriage, as applying only between a man and a woman.

The final version also dropped references to gays having "gifts and qualities" and instead, tackled the issue from the standpoint of families and their experience of living with homosexuals in their midst. 

The paragraph that seeks to lift the ban on giving remarried divorcees communion, along with the reference on offering "fraternal space" for gays, were also considered too welcoming and too strong.

All three statements failed to win two-thirds of the synod's vote.

Pope Francis, however, ordered to have the statements inserted in the final version of the working document for the follow-up debate slated in October, next year.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said in a statement that the rule on two-thirds majority is applicable for next year's final document.

For now, there is no need to cancel the pro-gay and pro-divorcees statements as these are themes that will figure prominently during the synod's final debate in 2015, Lombardi said.  

TagsSynod of Bishops 2014, Vatican, same-sex unions