Pope asks priests to minister to those in irregular unions

Look upon such couples with tenderness and compassion, he tells parish priests.

Vatican City:  Reaching out to and guiding couples in cohabitation with tenderness and compassion is essential to promoting and defending the sanctity of marriage, Pope Francis said.

Couples who have chosen to live together without getting married in church "are, in spiritual and moral terms, among the poor and the least, toward whom the church, in the footsteps of her teacher and Lord, wants to be a mother who doesn't abandon, but who draws near and cares for," Catholic News Service reported him as saying during an audience with parish priests on Feb. 25.

Look upon such couples with "tenderness and compassion," he said, urging the clergy to remember that ministry to the least and the neediest "is an essential part of your work in promoting and defending the sacrament of marriage."

The pope spoke to parish priests who were in Rome attending a course on marriage preparation and the new rules to reform the process for verifying the validity of a marriage. The course was offered Feb. 22-25 and was sponsored by the Vatican's Roman Rota, a marriage tribunal.

He said he believed the biggest challenge to overcome may be the way people think and see marriage as "a social reality" and not a true sacrament that requires lengthy preparation.

Tirelessly remind couples, he encouraged, that God is reflected in a Christian marriage — "impressing his image and the indelible character of his love on them."

While constantly upholding the "great mystery" and sacred nature of marriage, also take care of those who have come to realize they are not in a valid union and want to remedy their situation, the pope said.

Source: Catholic News Service