The daily newspaper "Il Messaggero" spoke at the weekend of a "humiliation", while the "Repubblica" spoke of an "open conflict over women and homosexuals".
Meanwhile, church media are endeavouring to limit the damage and take a different view of the events that led to a surprising adjournment of the meeting on Thursday.
For the first time, Catholic laypeople were in the majority among the thousand or so participants in the synod.
The daily newspaper "Avvenire", which is supported by the bishops and is available in many Italian parish churches at the weekend, published voices from synod participants on Saturday. Delegate Laura Lamma from the diocese of Carpi explained: "The participants fearlessly expressed their rejection because they were accompanied by the Holy Spirit."
However, this was not about their own ideas, but about the fact that the results of a long process of listening had not been sufficiently taken into account in the proposed final text.
Cardinal Zuppi found the emergency exit
Lamma expressly praised the reaction of the synod leadership to the massive opposition of the participants.
The postponement surprisingly requested by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Bishops' Conference, was ultimately approved by a majority of 98 per cent.
The clergyman Calogero Di Leo from the diocese of Perugia is quoted by "Avvenire" as saying: "Nobody had expected the earthquake that the Spirit has triggered."
The debate in the plenary assembly and in the working groups was free, open and transparent.
There had been "moments of tension", but these had been dealt with constructively.
The decisive factor was that the bishops "understood the signs of the times with healthy realism and humility and then announced that the path of decision must be extended".
The clergyman Marco Pascarella from Capua explained that the planned test had been "cold" and that the assembly had known exactly what it wanted.
The postponement until October was a strong signal for the entire Church in Italy.