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Although it fits neatly into a headline, the word "split" is not quite the right one to describe the state of play inside the Roman Catholic Church. The extraordinary synod of bishops which has just ended in Rome, failed to reach a consensus on two of the most contentious questions it faced, over divorced and remarried Catholics, and over homosexuality. Although a majority of the bishops supported a liberal position, they did not have the two-thirds majority that had been set as the definition of a consensus. So what happened over these two weeks was a convulsion rather than a revolution, a profound disagreement rather than a division - for that would imply two sides each going their separate way. Whereas, in truth, the battle between them has just been joined. There is to be another synod facing the same questions in a year's time, and in between, the whole Catholic Church, that is to say all its 1.2 billion members, are being invited to join the debate. But in my view the very fact of discussing these things, changes them. Everyone now knows that a substantial proportion of the Church's international leadership thinks that gay and lesbian Catholics should be welcomed into the life of the church, and that their relationships - and we're not just talking about platonic friendships here - should be valued. Two years ago such progress would surely have been unthinkable. Similarly we know that a majority of church leaders think divorced Catholics who marry again should not automatically be barred from participating in the sacraments. The minority position is also trying to tell us something important. It fears that the misuse of sexuality - when things go wrong instead of right - lies at the heart of much suffering and damage for the children and adults concerned. Sexuality may be God's gift, they are saying, but it can get us into a whole lot of trouble. The idea that Catholic leaders should just rubber-stamp an anarchic or utilitarian approach to sex, marriage and family life, would have been not only unrealistic but a betrayal. Their duty is to say something wiser and more constructive, to help us live better lives. The challenge to the conservative minority now is to turn their negative position into something positive. We know what they are against, but what are they for? They badly need to refresh their arguments, or they will surely lose in the end. We have known a long time that a majority of ordinary Catholics has come to the conclusion that yesterday's answers don't work anymore. We now also know that a majority of church leaders - and clearly Pope Francis is among them - is of the same opinion. And that is the fundamental fact that has been revealed by the events of the last two weeks.