Pope Francis: Divorced deserve better treatment

Pope Francis has declared that divorced Catholics who remarry and their children deserve better treatment from the church, and he urged clergy to avoid treating these couples as if they were excommunicated.

Catholic teaching says divorced Catholics who remarry are living in sin and are not allowed to receive Communion, leaving many feeling shunned by their church.

Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy in church leadership has raised hope among many such Catholics he might lift the Communion ban. The Vatican is holding a month-long follow-up meeting on family issues this autumn, after a similar gathering last year left divorced Catholics who remarry hoping in vain for an end to the ban.