Divorce debate poses dilemma for Vatican

The issue of divorce is stoking a spirited debate between Catholic cardinals and revealing the challenges and expectations for Pope Francis after his promises to put the Church more in touch with modern life.

The question is whether divorcees who remarry should be allowed to take part in the most sacred point of Catholic mass, Holy Communion, which is forbidden under current rules that in practice are often not observed.

Changing the doctrine could in turn alter Church rules on marriage annulments and raise broader questions about the institution of marriage, prompting lively exchanges between traditionalists and reformers.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, France, told Vatican radio that a meeting of cardinals from around the world in the Vatican this month devoted 80-90% of the time to discussing the issue.

German Cardinal Ludwig Mueller, head of the Church’s doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has said the current rules are “impossible to change” and that people should stop thinking of marriage as “a party in a church”.

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, a member of the council of eight cardinals established by the pope to advise him, has taken a more lenient line and has asked Mueller to be “more flexible”.

A survey by the Spanish- language network Univision in 12 mainly Catholic countries found that 75% of Europeans, 67% of Latin Americans and 59% of Americans were at odds with the Church on the issue, while in Africa 19% of respondents disagreed.

The issue is one of very personal anguish for many Catholic couples, who say they are being treated as second-class believers, and has led to acts of defiance.

The German diocese of Freiburg im Breisgau last year said it was authorising remarried divorcees to receive Holy Communion on a case-by-case basis — prompting a quick telling off from the Vatican.

The issue would affect millions of Catholics around the world, with around a quarter of Catholic marriages ending in divorce in the United States alone.

Some theologians and clergymen have called for changes to facilitate the annulment of marriages in cases in which it could be argued the wedding took place under social pressure or was not fully understood.

Remarrying would then be allowed under Church rules and the couple would be allowed to take Holy Communion.

Another possibility could be the Orthodox model, which allows some divorcees to remarry in church and take Holy Communion but gives only a blessing for the second marriage and does not consider it a sacrament.

The issue is likely to dominate a synod of world bishops planned for later this year and another one in 2015, which Francis has said should focus on families.