Pope Francis has said today that couples
whose marriages have failed should be
"accompanied" and not "condemned". He
said this while responding to queries on his
views on divorce and how the Roman Catholic
church should treat divorced couples. Today,
during the daily mass he holds in the Vatican, he
said specifically on the subject of divorced
couples,
"When love fails, and it fails many times, we
have to feel the pain of that failure, accompany
the people who have felt the failure of their
love. Don't condemn them! Walk with them!
We have to be so close to the brothers and
sisters who have suffered the failure of love in
their lives."
Pope Francis had on his assumption of office,
promised to put the Church in touch with
modern life in a way that will draw people closer
to God. Since last year, there has been a fierce
debate on whether divorced couples should be
allowed to take Holy Communion. While he
cannot on his own pass church doctrine, nor can
this sermon on a pulpit be the final word on the
matter, I think his heart is definitely in the right
place. God is love, and a lot of us forget that
sometimes.
