Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to build bridges with remarried divorcees who are Catholic. In the preface of a new Vatican document on preparing couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony, he called for new “concrete” guidelines to be drafted. These would help those offering pastoral care to divorced and remarried Catholics, he said. The Read more
The pro-theologian emeritus of the pontifical household has questioned the appropriateness of the term “remarried divorcees” canonically and pastorally. Cardinal Georges Cottier said in an interview with Jesuit journal La Civilta Catholica that the term is too generic and is applied in “fundamentally different situations”. The Swiss Dominican described two very different cases which come Read more
The situation of remarried divorcees will be a major topic of discussion when Catholic bishops meet in October 2014 for an extraordinary Synod of Bishops called by Pope Francis on the pastoral needs of families. The Code of Canon Law says such a synod is held to “deal with matters which require a speedy solution”. Read more
The German archdiocese of Freiburg has indicated its willingness to allow some remarried divorcees to receive Communion — but the Vatican has signalled the move should be halted until next year’s Synod on the Family is held. Freiburg’s pastoral care office has published a 14-page guidebook for priests and deacons in the archdiocese with detailed Read more