In the second extract from this year’s Tablet Lecture, Pope Francis’ determination to change the way the Church makes decisions is put under the microscope The 2015 Synod of Bishops began in an atmosphere far from the tone of brotherly affection of which Pope Francis had spoken at the end of the 2014 synod. Suspicion and bad faith were in the air. Reports began to circulate that he had a benign brain tumour – reports that several senior cardinals decried as a deliberate attempt to undermine the Pope by implying that his mental acuity was impaired.Then came reports – of varying degrees of accuracy – that 13 senior cardinals had written on the opening day to warn Francis against any attempt by reformers to manipulate the synod’s working document, procedu