Women to vote for first time at Synod of Bishops discussing the Catholic Church's future

Pope Francis is about to open a several-week meeting involving hundreds of Catholic clergy as part of a years-long survey into the future of the church.

On the agenda: the role of women in church leadership, blessing same-sex unions and how the church should be governed.

But outspoken cardinals wary of the Pope's agenda, as well as advocates for child sex abuse survivors, have ensured the meeting won't be without its critics.