Vatican October meeting to focus on divorce, other family issues

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…