Pope Francis in St Peter’s square. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty
Pope Francis has issued a remarkable endorsement of major changes in the way priests approach Catholics who are divorced and remarried, in a move that could open the door to some of them receiving communion.
The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Francis sent a letter to bishops inArgentina on 5 September in which he praised a document they had written that said priests could – in some cases – offer the “help of sacraments” to Catholics living in “irregular family situations” as part of a broader effort to support and integrate divorced and remarried Catholics into the life of the church.
“There are no other interpretations,” Francis wrote.
The pope’s praise of the document was the most direct evidence that Francis supports a significant change in the way individual priests deal with divorced Catholics.
