Comment: Dr Rebecca Rist on the Pope making it easier for Catholics to remarry
Release Date 09 September 2015
Papal expert Dr Rebecca Rist (History) says Pope Francis's reforms are another step to cementing his legacy as a ‘modernising' pope.
“According to the Gospels Jesus was unambiguous that marriage was for life. But in the twenty-first century however, the Catholic Church has realised that it needs to look again at marriage. Education, life choices and career progression mean people in the West tend to marry later, particularly women, and have fewer children.
“The Church also knows it needs to improve the instruction priests give to those about to marry. This reflects the added married pressures brought from unemployment, job uncertainty and that many people who marry do not appreciate the Catholic criteria - that it should be for life and with the desire to have children.
“By making the process simpler and much quicker, Pope Francis is showing understanding towards modern problems while remaining true to the spirit of Jesus’s teaching. It is also a move to decentralise the Church by putting more power and authority in the hands of local bishops.
“Francis hopes that his pronouncements on annulment, reform of Vatican bureaucracy, and his recent Synod debating marriage in the modern world will cement his legacy as a ‘modernising’ pope.”