In his apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis refers to the “internal forum” for divorced and remarried Catholics as “a renewed encouragement to undertake a responsible personal and pastoral discernment” with an examination of conscience, accompanied by a priest.

As someone who has had experience of the internal forum – after my divorce my first marriage was annulled but my second marriage was to a man who was divorced, so I was stuck in an canonical cul-de-sac – I can say that for me it was a pastoral, graced experience which meant I could keep receiving Communion. My husband later became a Catholic, and had his first marriage annulled, so in the end we were able to have a Nuptial Mass.

Lay people were active before each of the two Synods of the Family, through participation in parish discussion groups, completing offical questionnaires and communicating directly with their bishops about family issues. Pope Francis is now asking for our continued participation.