A fallacy gaining ground in the Church is that a pastoral approach to issues concerning the family must take precedence over a theologocal one. But as St Paul showed, both heart and mind must always be engaged Whatever else calls for our attention in 2015 must be put to one side as we attend to the business of preparing for the Synod on the Family, taking place in October. People, priests, deacons and bishops – all must heed the call of Pope Francis to urgent prayer, to honest soul searching, to plain speaking. Parishes must look to those who have come to old age to lead our prayer. Some of them have lived to see their children and grandchildren walk away from a Church that no longer seems able to respond to the demands of our times. Some will have experienced the pain of divorce a