Pope Francis opened the Synod of Bishops' general assembly in Rome on Wednesday, which in a historic first gives women a vote, after a vast global consultation on the future Catholic Church.

Here are five things to know about the event:

Input from faithful

Since 2021, the world's 1.3 billion Catholics have been invited to express their views on the Catholic Church and its challenges to help guide the institution through the 21st century.

The "Synod on Synodality" was launched by Francis, 86, as a way to make the Church more inclusive and transparent as it sought input from the faithful around the world.

Insights from local dioceses were submitted to episcopal conferences, all contributing to a 50-page working document called the "Instrumentum Laboris" that will be used during the discussions that will take place over the next four weeks.

A second session of the assembly is scheduled for October 2024, after which a final document will be given to the pope. He will then decide whether or not to incorporate its findings into a papal document known as an apostolic exhortation.

"It's an important forum for reflection for the Church, on its way of being, of moving forward," Italian priest Giacomo Costa, the special secretary of this assembly, told AFP.

21st-century issues 

The current Synod is the first time the Vatican has waded into so many of today's contentious social issues so openly.

The topics to be addressed include the place of LGBT+ people within the Church, whether women should be ordained deacons, and whether married men can serve as priests in regions with insufficient clergy, among others.

While there has been consensus on some issues, "there are other issues on which we disagree in substance," said Costa.

Contributing to discussions will be theologians, experts, and sociologists, he said.