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Vatican October meeting to focus on divorce, other family issues

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican meeting of bishops in October will focus on divorce and separation, among other family-related issues, according to the preparatory document published Monday.

The gathering of presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences will be a forum to discuss the application today of Amoris Laetitia , Pope Francis’ controversial 2016 apostolic exhortation on marriage and the family.

The Vatican announced July 6 that the Oct. 7–14 meeting will center on five themes, including accompanying and supporting families “in the difficulties of life.”

The gathering will include a discussion about “walking with families in complex situations,” such as “abandonment, separation, and divorce,” so that they can feel listened to and involved in the Church, according to a press release from the Secretariat General of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

It will also discuss cohabiting couples, openness to welcoming children, the decline in marriage among young people, and the transmission of the faith to new generations.

Pope Leo announced at the end of his second consistory of cardinals on June 27 that several families will also take part in…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Росица Петрова

The article mentions that they will discuss "Amoris Laetitia" and the divorced to feel heard. In my opinion, the Church should help families avoid divorce, not just comfort them afterwards. I'm curious how exactly they're going to bring ordinary families into these conversations.

Сергій Шевченко

I agree with Rositsa. In "Amoris Laetitia" a lot is written about accompanying the divorced, but almost nothing about how parishes really help young families to avoid divorce. I wonder if at least one ordinary family from Vinnytsia with children, who goes to church every week, and not only bishops, was invited to the October meeting.

Michal Šimko

I agree with Rosica and Sergej. In Amoris Laetitia, a lot is written about the divorced, but in our parish in Prešov, most of the energy goes to helping young people even before marriage - courses, conversations, joint prayers. It would be good if normal families with children were also invited to October, not just "complex situations".

Соломія Панченко

I agree with Rositsa and Serhiy. In "Amoris Laetitia" there is really a lot about the divorced, but how to really support young people in our Lviv parishes when they are just starting to live together is hardly mentioned. I wonder if at least one ordinary family with children who just goes to church every Sunday was invited to the October meeting.

Григорий Макаров

I agree with Rositsa. In “Amoris Laetitia” there is indeed a lot about divorced people, so that they can be “heard”, but there is almost nothing about how in an ordinary parish to help a young family not end up with divorce. I wonder if at least one normal St. Petersburg family with children, who simply goes to church on Sundays and tries to live as a Christian, will be invited to the October meeting.

Максим Лисенко

I agree with Rositsa and Sergey. In our Lviv parish, after the liturgy, we give simple practical advice to newly married couples - how not to fight over money or who takes out the trash, and we don't just talk about divorced people. I wonder if at the October meeting at least one such ordinary family with two children, like mine, will be able to really take the floor.

Photini Brown

The article says they’ll talk about “walking with families in complex situations” like divorce so they feel listened to. That’s fine, but like Росица wrote, I wish they’d spend more time on how ordinary parishes actually help young couples before it gets that far. In our Ottawa soup-kitchen group we see plenty of tired young moms and dads; a few practical evenings on money fights or just listening to each other would do more good than another document.

Marek Šimko

You're right, Michal, it's similar here in Michalovci - most of the work is with those who are just getting ready to get married, because then it's harder to save something. I wonder what the courses in Prešov look like, whether young people who are not yet in a serious relationship also go there.

Леся Панченко

I agree, Solomia, in our parish in Sykhov, they also do almost nothing for those who are just starting to live together - except that they suddenly appear after the wedding. As for ordinary families with children, I wonder if they will take at least one from our Lviv, because otherwise everything will be just words again. Which of ours would you recommend?

Василий Комаров

Gregory, you are right, in Amoris Laetitia the emphasis is precisely on “listening” to divorced people, but there is almost nothing about how in an ordinary church to help a young couple not slide into divorce. In our parish in Krasnodar we also have more conversations after the divorce than before. What do you think, what can really be done at the level of an ordinary parish so that families hold on tighter?

Matej Kováč

Marek, it's the same here in Košice - most of the energy goes into preparing for marriage, because after a breakup it's usually late. In Prešov, the courses are said to be attended mainly by those who have been in a relationship for at least a year, but young people without a partner rarely go there. Have you ever tried to invite singles from your parish to a parish meeting?

Валентина Соколова

Grigory accurately noticed about the emphasis on “hearing” after a divorce. In our Voronezh parish, they also most often help afterward, but with young couples who have just gotten married, there is almost no work. Maybe at such meetings it’s worth listening not only to families from the capitals, but also to ordinary mothers like me, who have been singing in the choir for years and seeing how their garden neighbors quietly leave? What are you trying to do in St. Petersburg before the divorce?

Štefan Šimko

Marek, here in Michalovci, it's really like that, most of the work goes to those who are just getting ready to get married. I would like to see the courses in Prešov with my own eyes, because single young people come to our parish only exceptionally, when someone personally invites them. Have you ever tried a bike tour group for them?

Yes, Matej, it's similar in Michalovci - most people come for the preparations for marriage, but single young people rarely show up at parish meetings. We tried to invite them through the garden near the church, because people like to stop there, but the result was weak. And what about you in Košice, do you have any idea how to attract more of them?

Сергей Белов

Valentina, you’re right - in our Moscow parish we also mostly work on “patching holes” after a divorce, and we hardly work with young people. The mothers from the choir really have an accurate eye; they are the first to see how neighbors in the dacha begin to remain silent with each other. Have you ever tried family evenings for those who have only been married for a year or two in your Voronezh?

Софья Попова

Sergey, in St. Petersburg, we also do the most work with those who have already divorced and are raising children alone. We tried family evenings for young people a couple of times, but only three couples came, and then they went to their dachas. And how exactly do your mothers from the choir approach such neighbors - do they just give them tea or say something else?