Pope Francis Declares Divorcees Deserve Compassion, Too

[DonViejo]

Divorced Christians will be encouraged by Pope Francis's reminder that the church should be a place of healing after a failed marriage.

Pope Francis is giving hope to another group historically marginalized by the church. During a recent morning Mass, he made news when he said the divorced should be "accompanied," not "condemned.”

This message will be balm to many divorced Christians—Catholic or not—who have had fellow believers heap shame and judgment on top of the pain that accompanies the loss of a marriage. It’s also a reminder that while the church has caused plenty of pain, it is meant to be a place of incredible healing.

When I was going through my own divorce, I found a church that practiced what the Pope is preaching. There, I met a woman I’ll call Amanda, who became a dear friend. Her story contrasts the two approaches to divorce in the church that Pope Francis highlighted.

At 22, Amanda married a man who began sexually and emotionally abusing her. “It was a daily onslaught,” she recalled to me recently. As a faithful Christian who didn’t believe in divorce, she did everything she could to make the marriage work. Instead, it only got worse.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/09/pope-francis-declares-divorcees-deserve-compassion-too.html