Pope Francis leads the synod of bishops in Paul VI's hall at the Vatican October 6, 2014. Pope Francis opened a global Roman Catholic assembly on Sunday showing his apparent irritation with Church leaders who have waged a sometimes bitter public batt
Pope Francis leads the synod of bishops in Paul VI's hall at the Vatican October 6, 2014. Pope Francis opened a global Roman Catholic assembly on Sunday showing his apparent irritation with Church leaders who have waged a sometimes bitter public battle between progressives and conservatives on family issues. REUTERS/Claudio Peri/Pool REUTERS/Claudio Peri/Pool

Things have yet to heat up in discussions about the realities and presence of gay members in the Roman Catholic faith, but conservative Catholics have thumbed down any insinuations the church will ever arrive to a point of softening for them.

On Monday, a mid-term report declaring homosexuals had "gifts and qualities to offer" was leaked to the press. The world's Catholic bishops are currently in Rome, attending in what is called a Synod's General Congregation.

South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, according to LifeSite News, was surprised how the interim report got out to the public. After all, it was just a meant as a provisional summary of the debates the bishops had been conducting in their ranks. Now, they have to do counter measures to manage a potential crisis over something they have yet to fully agree upon.

"The message has gone out that this is what the Synod is saying, this is what the Catholic Church is saying, and it's not what we are saying at all," LifeSite quoted Napier. "No matter how we try correcting that ... there's no way of retrieving it."

"The message has gone out and it's not a true message," he added. "Whatever we say hereafter is going to be as if we're doing some damage control."

A report by the Catholic News Agency quoted Cardinal Raymond Burke describing the 11-page document as "confused" and "erroneous." Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said the leaked document was just a draft that "still needs some major reworking."

The 200 Catholic leaders stressed the statement did not accurately reflect their discussions that had ensued. Napier said it was not totally what the bishops were saying at all.

On Tuesday, the Vatican tried to douse the fire by saying the report on gays and lesbians was a "working document" and is yet Rome's final words. The statement that created the heated tensions now among the bishops was this:

"Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community. Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?"

Much as it welcomes gays and lesbians in the church, the Vatican stressed it does not want to create "the impression of a positive evaluation" of same-sex relationships, nor to cohabitation of unmarried couples.