By Sam Wroblewski WPRO News
Bishop Thomas Tobin says he believes the Catholic Church should reconsider the laws banning divorced or remarried parishioners from taking Holy Communion.
In an opinion piece for the Rhode Island Catholic, Tobin writes that given the amount of regular church going Catholics who divorced or remarried, the status quo is unacceptable.
Tobin told the WPRO News with Gene Valicenti, that the church should be asking what they can do to help these people fully participate in the life of the church.
“It’s not going to change the teachings at all, we believe marriage is a sacrament and is meant to be permanent, but so many people find themselves in the situation; we need to at least ask the question,” said Tobin.
The Bishop suggests the Church should consider simplifying the annulment process to make it more personal and less intimidating to couples.
Tobin’s opinion comes days after Pope Francis married 20 couples who had lived with each other, or in one case had a child, before being married.
