Leaked letter adds intrigue, confusion to Vatican bishops meeting

Bishops arrive for the synod of the family led by Pope Francis at the Vatican, October 10, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A gathering of world Roman Catholic bishops was thrown into confusion on Monday with the leak of a letter from conservative cardinals to Pope Francis bitterly complaining that the meeting was stacked against them.

It was published by the same Italian journalist whose press credentials were stripped by the Holy See last June after he ran a leaked copy of the pope's major encyclical on the environment.