Their acts are contrary to the sacrament of marriage, Pope Francis says of Catholics who divorce and then remarry. But the pontiff is stressing that those spouses – and their children – must be embraced by the Church.

The headline on the Vatican’s official news site is explicit: “Pope: divorced and remarried people not excommunicated.”

The AP reminds us, “Catholic teaching says divorced Catholics who remarry are living in sin and are not allowed to receive Communion, leaving many of these people feeling shunned by their church.”