Pope says he prays U.S.-led schism can be thwarted

Pope Francis talks with his spokesperson Matteo Bruni during his flight from Antananarivo to Rome, after his seven-day pastoral trip to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius, September 10, 2019. Alessandra Tarantino/Pool via REUTERS

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Tuesday he prayed that dissent from American Catholic conservatives would not lead to a schism in the Church and that he was willing to listen to critics and make corrections if necessary.

But in frank comments to reporters aboard the plane returning to Rome from a trip to Africa, he said he was not afraid of a schism. Some of his critics had allowed political ideology to infiltrate religious doctrine, he said.