Cathal BarryA leading Catholic theologian has described as a “distraction” the debate on Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic ahead of the Synod of Bishops which will discuss the controversial issue, Fr Vincent Twomey said he “can’t see any great movement happening on it”.
“The whole issue is a distraction from the real problems facing the Church as a whole throughout the world.”
He said the real question facing the synod is why marriages are breaking down in the first place.
“It’s such a complex issue. This was debated at the last synod on the family and was dealt with in great detail by Pope John Paul II. I can’t see them reinventing the wheel.
“I can’t see any great movement happening on it. I may be wrong but I don’t think so,” Fr Twomey said.
Change
Baroness Nuala O’Loan, however, said she felt confident that Pope Francis “is determined to make a change of some kind” on the key issue that is facing the Synod of Bishops which is due to get underway in Rome next week.
Mrs O’Loan, who has staunchly defended the Church’s teaching on marriage and the right to life, told this newspaper “there is a lot of injustice around the fact that in some cases it’s Church structures which have resulted in people being excluded”.
“There are people who feel that they cannot approach the sacrament. There are people who do not approach the sacrament and who want to do so. I can’t imagine the pain of that,” she said.
Mrs O’Loan said Church leaders participating in the synod needed to “act justly and love tenderly”.
“If they go to the synod bearing that in mind, although finding a resolution to complex problems in technical terms as a huge group of synod members will be difficult, I think they will manage to make some progress.
“It may be very slow progress but I think there will be a shift. I think that shift will continue towards finding ways to enable people to return to the fold,” she said.