Vatican will look at divorcee rules

VATICAN CITY – An upcoming world summit of Catholic bishops will discuss dropping long-standing rules against remarried divorcees as part of efforts to update the church’s stance toward modern family life, the Vatican said Tuesday.

Such efforts stem from Pope Francis’ decision to make mercy the central theme of his pontificate. He wants the Catholic Church to remain faithful to its principles but nevertheless try to reach out to people who stray from its teachings.

At the moment, the main limitation for remarried divorcees is a ban on taking communion. Rank-and-file Catholics, especially in Europe and the United States, want this to change, but church hierarchies are bitterly divided over the issue.

Bishops rowed over the issue in October when a first round of synod discussions on family issues took place. They are slated to take up the matter again in four months and make recommendations to Francis, who will have the final say.

A working document unveiled Tuesday mentions the possibility for remarried divorcees to follow a path of penance, entailing a period of prayer, chastity and – if possible – the annulment of their previous marriage by a Vatican tribunal.

Cardinal Peter Erdo, whose role at the synod is similar to a chairman, said it was hard to give divorcees a soft ride because Catholic teaching on marriage, starting from Jesus Christ, has always been “very demanding.”

“We must be aware of this fact and of the seriousness of this fact, and nevertheless try to meet the needs of today’s world because our mission is aimed at today’s world,” the Hungarian prelate said.

The Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the Oct. 4-25 synod, said rules currently excluding remarried divorcees from aspects of church life should be “rethought.”

Signaling a concession likely to be born from the synod, the working document said there was “wide consensus” among world bishops on the need to make marriage annulment procedures before Vatican courts “more accessible, quick and possibly free.”

The treatment of gay men and lesbians was another controversial topic in last year’s synod talks and is due to be re-examined in October, especially after the recent referendum approval of gay marriage in a traditionally Catholic country like Ireland.

“For us, marriage is between a man and a woman, open to procreation,” Synod Secretary Bruno Forte said. “This does not mean that I cannot respect and welcome a homosexual person.”

He said reaching out to gay people is “a pastoral challenge” for the church.