NEW YORK TIMES: After a three-week global assembly on family issues that exposed their deep divisions, Roman Catholic bishops produced a consensus document on Saturday that reinforced church doctrine but appeared to give Pope Francis enough support to advance his vision of a more merciful church…
It offers divorced and remarried Catholics the possibility of returning to fuller participation in the church, on a case-by-case basis, after receiving spiritual counseling from priests in what is called the “internal forum.” It says divorced and civilly remarried Catholics “must not feel excommunicated,” and their children also must be integrated into the church…
On another highly charged issue — what the church should tell cohabiting couples — the bishops acknowledged that many couples lived together without getting married for a wide range of social, cultural and economic reasons. The synod report said that the church should address these couples in “a constructive manner” with the goal of leading them “towards the fullness of marriage and family.”… (more)
