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Posted on 10/16/2026 9:04:01 AM PDT by ebb tide
The question of Holy Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics prompted controversy during a Vatican meeting marking the tenth anniversary of Amoris laetitia, Bishop Heiner Wilmer has confirmed.
Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Münster, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, said the issue was discussed “at length and with some controversy” during a week-long meeting in Rome. The bishop made the remarks in a statement issued on 15 October following the international gathering, which brought together presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV.
The meeting ran from 7 to 14 October to mark the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia, published in 2016, and to examine contemporary challenges facing marriage and family life.
In his assessment of the discussions, Bishop Wilmer said that “differing views on the relationship between canon law and the pastoral perspectives of Amoris laetitia became clear”.
“These questions remain a challenge,” the German prelate added.
His statement provides a further indication that the question of Holy Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics remains contested within the Church a decade after the publication of the document. Bishop Wilmer did not identify which bishops defended particular positions during the discussions, nor did he indicate that his working group had reached an agreed resolution.
The conversations took place in his Italian-speaking working group, which included two bishops from China and one bishop each from Mongolia, Poland, Mexico, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Greece and Italy, as well as Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The group also examined the ways marriage and family life are experienced across different cultural and social circumstances.
“The challenges differ considerably in some respects. That’s precisely why it was so stimulating to hear from one another and engage in dialogue,” Bishop Wilmer said.
The meeting’s discussions extended beyond the question of sacramental discipline to the place of the family in the transmission of the Catholic faith, the experience of married couples and the pressures facing parents raising children.
Bishop Wilmer welcomed the emphasis placed on the value of family life during the gathering, expressing gratitude for families whose lives provide a witness to the faith. He said the family remained important for the initial proclamation of the Gospel, while acknowledging the commitment required to sustain relationships and raise children.
The bishop said he was returning from Rome with suggestions as well as unanswered questions, adding that the Church should be prepared not only to offer answers to families but also to learn from them.
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"Controversy" and "confusion": that's the modus operandi of the synodal "church".
Now it must learn from irregular "families" instead of preaching the faith of our fathers.
These bishops will listen to everybody, except to what Jesus Christ, His Apostles, martyrs and saints have passed on to us.
From what I can tell, definitions of Catholic marriage and divorce follow strict definitions.
A Catholic marriage is recognized:
1. If it is in a Catholic church, performed by a priest, etc. (which implies following Catholic rules) OR
2. Any ceremony publicly considered to be a legal marriage between two baptized Catholics.
My current wife and I are both baptized Catholics. Each of our previous marriages were to non-baptized Catholics performed in non-Catholic churches. Therefore, those are not recognized as marriages by the Catholic church.
We were married in a non-Catholic ceremony.
THEREFORE since we are both baptized Catholics we are considered to be married by the Catholic Church.
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