Pope, bishops grapple with family issues

VATICANCITY— Pope Francis opened a divisive meeting of the world’s bishops on family issues Sunday by asserting that marriage is an indissoluble bond between man and woman. But he said the church doesn’t judge and must “seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy.”

Francis dove head-on into the most pressing issue confronting the meeting of 270 bishops during a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica: How to better minister to Catholic families experiencing separation, divorce and other problems when the church’s teaching holds that marriage is forever.

He insisted the church cannot be “swayed by passing fads or popular opinion.” But in an acknowledgment that marriages fail, he said the church is a mother who doesn’t point fingers or judge her children.

“The church must search out these persons, welcome and accompany them, for a church with closed doors betrays herself and her mission and, instead of being a bridge, becomes a roadblock,” he said.

One of the major debates is whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics can receive Communion.

Francis launched the synod process two years ago by sending a 39-point questionnaire to bishops, parishes and Catholic families around the world asking about their understanding of and adherence to church teaching on family matters. The responses showed a wide rift between official Catholic teaching and practice, particularly on sex, marriage and homosexuality.

A first meeting of bishops ended last October with no consensus on how to welcome gays and divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. Conservatives insisted that Catholic doctrine is clear and unchanging. Progressives acknowledged the doctrine but sought wiggle room in pastoral practice.