Catholic World News

CDF prefect: Church will not change doctrine on divorce/remarriage

March 04, 2014

In an interview with the National Catholic Register, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has again tossed cold water on speculation about a change in Church teaching regarding Communion for Catholics who are divorced and remarried.

“The idea that doctrine can be separated from the pastoral practice of the Church has become prevalent in some circles,” observed Cardinal Gerhard Müller. “This is not, and never has been, the Catholic faith.”

Cardinal Müller said that Pope Francis, like Pope Benedict XVI before him, has expressed concern about pastoral care for divorced and remarried Catholics. But it would be misleading to suggest that the Church will change perennial teachings, he said. Acknowledging that there have been many reports pointing to such a change, he said: “Sometimes it is necessary to distinguish between reality and its presentation in the media.”

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