Patten calls for remarried to receive Communion

One of Britain’s leading lay Catholics has called on the Church to allow Communion for the divorced and remarried. Lord Patten of Barnes, who recently oversaw a review of the Vatican’s media strategy, cited the example of parents unable to receive the Eucharist when their children made their First Holy Communion.

“I’ve been thinking about that recently because one of my grandsons is about to be prepared for Communion. His parents are both married, neither of them divorced. But in his class what happens if there’s one child whose parents are divorced [and remarried] and all the children are being advised to take First Communion with their parents? How do you explain to a seven- or eight-year-old that his parents can’t receive Communion with him or her because they’re terrible sinners? I mean, where is St Matthew’s gospel in all that?”

Lord Patten’s comments came as bishops from around the world prepare for a second synod on the family in Rome during October. One of the most contested topics has been whether the Church should admit remarried divorcees to the sacraments. He added: “I hope to see change. I think a combination of greater forgiveness, in some cases more flexibility and in some cases change.” Currently the Chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Patten praised Pope Francis for “heroically” opening up a debate within the Church.

 “Should the Church accept congregations becoming smaller provided it can give a clear message and a clear sense of ­destiny, or should it try to adjust itself without losing the ­fundamentals of the Christian message?” he asked.

Lord Patten, who helped organise Benedict XVI’s visit to Britain in 2010, also reflected on his review of the Holy See’s communications and his recommendations for a reform of them. At the end of last month, the Pope announced a new secretariat that would coordinate and streamline all of the Vatican media output.

The peer said: “I shall watch with interest and see how the Vatican manages the implementation [of our recommendations], which is never easy.” He added: “In the Pope you have probably the best communicator in the world and it would be bizarre if he wasn’t supported by a technology and an organ­isation which was at least as good as you would expect from a first-rate NGO or even a business organisation.” Lord Patten is a trustee of The Tablet.