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Isn't it reasonable to speculate about possible changes when a bc commission is established or a synod is planned to address family issues (and the pope at the same time refers to the Orthodox divorce and remarriage practices)? The fact that an issue is even being studied implies to most people that changes are at least a possibility. The existence of the bc commission led to confusion and disobedience by many (including my parents who abandoned Church teaching on the subject). The only way to avoid speculation is to be perfectly clear in regard to the specific objectives of the upcoming synod. The following unfortunately sums up the negative effect of the bc commission, which persists to this day:
Reaction to the encyclical ranged from dismay and disappointment to outright dismissal. Many Catholics had made up their own minds about birth control in the years the commission had spent debating the issue. Foreshadowing the crisis of authority that would consume the church in later years, prominent Jesuit philosopher Rev. Robert Johann told the New York Times the day after the encyclical's release that, "educated Catholics are not going to pay any attention to this statement." Commonweal magazine said: "For millions of lay people, the birth control question has been confronted, prayed over and settled--and not in the direction of the pope's encyclical."
It certainly appears that Pope Francis' own comments to the media - his actual quotes, rather than "spin" - are leading to much speculation and confusion.
I understand that Canon Law applies only to Roman Catholics of the Latin rite. It does not apply to the Byzantine Catholics, even though they are in communion with Rome.
This raises the question: Can anybody tell me whether the Byzantine Catholics treat marriage questions like this according to the Latin regulations, or more in line with the Orthodox pastoral practice?