At the October 2014 Synod of Bishops on the family, the bishops of the world grappled with the question of readmitting divorced and remarried Catholics to Communion. Some, like Cardinal Walter Kasper, pointed to the approach taken by the Orthodox churches, where divorced people can marry in a civil ceremony and be admitted to Communion after they have Read more
A French theologian has proposed an updated version of an ancient penitential tradition as a way forward for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. Dominican Thomas Michelet has suggested an updating of the ancient order of penitents (ordo paenitentium) for people who find themselves in a persistent condition of discrepancy from Chruch teaching. For several reasons, Read more
A German cardinal has warned not to expect dramatic changes in Church practice from October’s synod on the family. Cardinal Reinhard Marx told a Munich meeting the synod may not be ready to approve allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion. The cardinal said “it will not be simple” to bring this about. Cardinal Read more
A biblical scholar has concluded that Jesus did not repudiate the Mosaic concession whereby marriages could be ended because of ‘hardness of heart’. Camaldolese monk Guido Innocenzo Gargano, a professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, put forward the theory in the Urbaniana University Journal earlier this year. Now, in a new essay, he has reiterated Read more
The working document for October’s synod on the family has affirmed the need for the Church to speak its message of mercy more clearly. The Instrumentum Laboris was released by the Vatican on June 23. It includes portions of the final document from the 2014 synod and is also informed by responses from bishops’ conferences and others Read more
The presidents of Africa’s bishops’ conferences have stated they will not adopt the language of movements fighting for the destruction of the family. In a preparatory meeting in Accra, Ghana ahead of October’s synod on the family, the bishops stated “we must begin from the faith, reaffirm it and live it for the sake of Read more
An Australian Christian couple has vowed to divorce if Australia allows same-sex couples to marry. Nick and Sarah Jensen believe that widening the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples would threaten the sacred nature of the union. They also fear it would leave the door open for polygamy. The Jensens have been happily married Read more
Cardinal Walter Kasper says Pope Francis wanted him to raise the question of Communion for the divorced and remarried, but this doesn’t mean papal approval. The cardinal has long promoted a proposal to allow divorced-and-civilly-remarried Catholics to receive Communion after a period of repentance. He raised the topic during a talk at a consistory of Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops have decided the Marriage Tribunal will no longer charge fees for the marriage annulment process. “The Tribunal process is an important pastoral ministry within the Church at a very difficult time in people’s lives,” said Cardinal John Dew, Moderator of the Tribunal. “The Bishops wanted to ensure that cost was Read more
English Cardinal Vincent Nichols has told married couples that even a broken marriage remains a source of grace for those involved in it. Cardinal Nichols was speaking at a special Mass at Westminster Cathedral in thanksgiving for the sacrament of Matrimony. More than 500 married couple celebrating milestone anniversaries attended. In his homily, Cardinal Nichols Read more