Pope Francis; Sometimes divorce can be a "moral act"

Pope Francis. (Reuters / Pope Francis)

The Catholic Church is known worldwide for being staunchly anti-divorce, but according to Francis there are certain moral imperatives, which make divorce a lesser evil. He was talking about the humiliation a wife could suffer at the hands of an abusive spouse. Also, if there are children, their safety must be considered.Pope Francis may go down in history as the Catholic leader most actively supporting divorce, after saying the practice was “morally necessary.” However, the pontiff’s position could face obstacles at an upcoming bishops’ meeting.

The Pope’s remarks come ahead of an important bishops’ conference set to mull over many issues Catholics consider crucial, including whether remarried divorcees can take communion.

“There are cases in which separation is inevitable,” Francis told an audience gathered on St. Peters Square.
“Sometimes, it can even be morally necessary, when it’s about shielding the weaker spouse or young children from the more serious wounds caused by intimidation and violence, humiliation and exploitation.

​

Nevertheless, there could be more than a bump ahead for those seeking reform, as a document released earlier this week practically eliminated any chance of reversing the current ban on communion for divorced Catholics who remarry. While the paper – also known as an instrumentum laboris – tries to balance out the modern with the traditional, some continue to see it as a repeat of what the Church said last year.

The paper, widely seen as a barometer for things to come in October, instead sets its sights on reaffirming the Catholic Church’s position on practically every matter reformists are opposed to, including the ban on birth control.

The first meeting of this sort took place in October last year, with Francis then warning the bishops against the temptation to “transform bread into stone and throw it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick – to turn [it] into ‘unbearable burdens.’”

Credit: Reuters