Communion for divorced and remarried: an example of how the Pope thinks

How will Pope Francis deal with the crucial and controversial question of communion with divorced and remarried Catholics in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the family?

One possibility could be to affirm the path of integration that he praised during his recent trip to Mexico.

In the meeting with families in Tuxtla Gutiérrez on February 15, the pontiff listened to the testimonies of four "injured" families in various ways.

One was the one made up of Humberto and Claudia Gómez, a couple who married civilly 16 years ago. Humberto had never been married, while Claudia was divorced with three children. The couple have a son, who is now 11 years old and an altar boy.

The couple described the Pope's "return journey" to the Church: "Our relationship was based on love and understanding, but we were far from the Church," said Humberto. Then, three years ago, "the Lord spoke" to them, and they joined a group for the divorced and remarried.

"It changed our life," said Humberto. “We approached the Church and received love and mercy from our brothers and sisters in the group, and from our priests. After receiving the embrace and love of Our Lord, we felt our hearts burning. "

Humberto then told the pope, who was nodding as he listened, that he and Claudia cannot receive the Eucharist, but that they can "enter into communion" by helping the sick and needy. “This is why we are volunteers in hospitals. We visit the sick, "said Humberto. "By going to them, we saw the need for food, clothes and blankets that their families had," he added.

Humberto and Claudia have been sharing food and clothing for two years, and now Claudia helps as a volunteer in a prison nursery. They also help drug addicts in prison by "accompanying them and providing personal hygiene products."

“The Lord is great,” concluded Humberto, “and allows us to serve the needy. We simply said 'yes', and he took it upon himself to show us the way. We are blessed because we have a marriage and a family where God is at the center. Pope Francis, thank you very much for your love ”.

The Pope praised Humberto and Claudia's commitment to sharing the love of God "experienced in the service and assistance to others" before all present. "And you took courage," he said then speaking directly to them; “And you pray, you are with Jesus, you are inserted into the life of the Church. You used a beautiful expression: 'We make communion with the weak brother, the sick, the needy, the prisoner'. Thank you thank you!".

The example of this couple struck the Pope so much that he still referred to them during the press conference that he granted on the return flight from Mexico to Rome.

Referring to Humberto and Claudia, he told reporters that "the key word that used the Synod - and I will take it up again - is to 'integrate' wounded families, remarried families, and all this into the life of the Church."

When a journalist asked him if this meant that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics will be allowed to receive Communion, Pope Francis replied: “This is one thing… it is the point of arrival. Integrating into the Church does not mean 'making Communion'; because I know remarried Catholics who go to church once a year, twice: 'But, I want to take Communion!', as if communion were an honor. It's an integration job ... "

He added that "all doors are open", "but it cannot be said: from now on 'they can make Communion'. This would also be a wound to the spouses, to the couple, because it will not make them take that path of integration. And these two were happy! And they used a very beautiful expression: 'We do not make Eucharistic Communion, but we do communion in the visit to the hospital, in this service, in that ...' Their integration remained there. If there is something more, the Lord will tell them, but ... it is a path, it is a road ... ".

The example of Humberto and Claudia was considered a supreme example of integration and participation in the Church without guaranteeing access to Eucharistic Communion. If Pope Francis' response during the meeting with families in Mexico and the press conference on the return flight are an accurate reflection of his thought, it is probable that he will not identify Eucharistic Communion as the fullest participation in the life of the Church that the synod fathers wanted for the divorced and remarried.

If the pope does not choose this particular path, he could allow passages in the post-synodal apostolic exhortation that would sound ambiguous and lend themselves to different readings, but it is probable that the pope will stick to the teaching of the Church (see Familiaris Consortio, n. 84). Always keeping in mind the words of praise spent for the Mexican couple and the fact that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has revised the document (apparently with 40 pages of corrections) and has submitted various drafts since January, according to some sources Vatican.

Observers believe that the document will be signed on March 19, the solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and third anniversary of the inauguration Mass of Pope Francis.

Source: it.aleteia.org