VATICAN CITY — The sex abuse crisis, a history of sexism and an overly narrow focus on a small number of moral issues can keep young people away from the Church, Pope Francis wrote  in a new apostolic exhortation.

I can’t stand it when someone says, “I believe in Jesus, not people.” 

The Synod of Bishops on young people is over but Emilie Callan will be unpacking a month full of memories for a long time. 

VATICAN – The church needs to further integrate women into ecclesial life to confront the problems of clericalism and an exaggerated sense of masculinity, a Vatican official told the Synod of Bishops.

VATICAN – Having some doubts is definitely better than having no doubts at all, Pope Francis told a group of seminarians.

VATICAN – To "capture the imagination" of young people and inspire them, church leaders should offer them the example of modern saints and call young people to be "everyday saints, each in his or her own way," said Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles.

VATICAN – At a Synod of Bishops where "cultural shift," "epochal change" and "massive challenge" are almost buzz phrases, Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg said, "I'm very optimistic."

VATICAN – In their first formal reports to the entire Synod of Bishops, many of the gathering's working groups reported that they had discussed the clerical sexual abuse crisis and, especially, its impact on young Catholics.

ROME (CNS) -- The days of making "weak excuses" in response to the sexual abuse crisis are over, said German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising.

VATICAN  – Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia told members of the Synod of Bishops their task was to help young people understand Catholic teaching on sexuality and to avoid using terms like "LGBTQ" that make it seem as if the church categorizes people that way.

VATICAN – Members of the Synod of Bishops are called to recognize the challenges young people face in living their faith, interpret those challenges in the light of faith and make "courageous choices" to renew the Catholic Church and its ministry to teens and young adults, said Brazilian Cardinal Sergio da Rocha.

VATICAN – Setting the stage for a monthlong gathering of bishops, Pope Francis urged synod fathers not to be crushed by "prophets of doom," but to be the signs of hope and joy for which today's young people yearn.

PHILADELPHIA – Archbishop Charles Chaput offered Friday on First Things a critique by a theologian of the working document for the upcoming Synod on Youth, which highlights five principal theological difficulties in the document.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Due to its impact on young Catholics in Africa, fundamentalism will be a topic that bishops from East Africa prioritize in their talks with other delegates during the synod's intervention sessions.

The call to cancel the upcoming Synod of Bishops on Young People to focus instead on the life of bishops is “short-sighted” and not in the best interests of the Church or youth, says a Canadian Catholic who helped shape the pre-Synod document for next month’s meeting in Rome.