Pope Francis: It is sometimes ‘morally necessary’ to divorce your partner

Pope Francis says it may be “morally necessary” for some troubled families to split up so that the weaker partner or the children can be protected. He said this today June 24th while addressing Catholic faithfuls ahead of a global meeting on family life in October. He said;

“There are cases in which separation is inevitable. Sometimes, it can even be morally necessary, when it’s about shielding the weaker spouse or young children from the more serious wounds caused by intimidation and violence, humiliation and exploitation”

He went on to say that after separations, it is important that the couple is counseled so that the ‘child does not become daddy or mummy’s hostage”. He noted that there are many families with ‘irregular situations’ in the world.

His remarks came a day after the publication of a working document for the Oct. 4-25 synod, a world summit of bishops due to discuss how to treat people who do not comply with Catholic family ethics, including divorcees, unmarried couples and homosexuals.

“Around us we find several families in so-called irregular — I don’t like this word — situations, and we pose ourselves many questions. How can we help them? How can we support them? How can we support them so that children do not become hostages of their father or mother?” the pope said.