Vatican official: mercy comes first in approach to divorced/remarried

March 12, 2014

Looking forward to the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family has said that the status of Catholics who are divorced and remarried “should be looked at with a merciful eye.”

“Mercy is not blind, and does not oppose the truth,” added Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia in an interview with Vatican Insider. However, he said, “mercy is the suprema lex.”

Archbishop Paglia said that the plight of poor families also called out for attention at the Synod. He added that Church leaders should address the role of the elderly, noting that although modern society has enabled people to have longer lives, it has not shown appreciation for the wisdom of the elderly.

The Vatican official said that in today’s society “the family is the first stumbling block that hinders the dictatorship of individualism.” Moreover, he said, healthy families are crucial to the health of society. “Problematic families need healthy families to give them an open and generous welcome,” he said.

 

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Further information:

• Paglia: "Open the floodgates of mercy," for remarried divorcees as well (Vatican Insider)