Catholics are being rather deliberately prodded toward frenzy by media coverage of Pope Francis’ desire for more effective pastoral care of those who are divorced and remarried.  Here is an excerpt from Dr Jeff Mirus’ brief examination on the pastoral-doctrinal issue:

“A high-ranking Churchman has emphasised that the status of divorced and remarried Catholics ‘should be looked at with a merciful eye’, which means changing the pastoral practice which bars couples in this ‘status’ from receiving Communion.

It was often the Popes who helped lead the renewal: Pius X introduced the idea of frequent communion, at a time when most Catholics were overly concerned with the idea of sin and so only went to communion once a year. Then, Pius XII restored the Easter Triduum – the Vigil, for instance, had been performed early on Holy Saturday morning and very few people took part. The vernacular also began to make itself felt and the practice grew up of reading the Scriptures at Mass in the local language – after they had been officially read in Latin during the Mass. Lay apostolates also began to appear, such as the Young Christian workers and the Legion of Mary etc. – showing new ways of “being Church”. Also, the 19th cent had also seen an upsurge of missionary movements, Mill Hill being one, and with this came the importance of the lay catechist. All this and more had begun to show the inadequacy of the Tridentine Church discipline and customs, when faced with the cultures of Asia, Africa and South America. New answers were needed to the questions thrown up by these and many other happenings – and the Council fathers set out to address them.