[Originally published in the Immaculate Conception Church bulletin on September 28th, 2014]

About 150 novus ordo leaders will assemble at the Vatican for an extraordinary general session of the Synod of Bishops from October 5 through 19 to discuss "pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization." New reports have highlighted the conflicts among those expected to play dominant roles in the Synod, notably Austrian Cardinal Walter Kasper pushing, with the backing of Francis, to liberalize laws regarding the divorced and remarried receiving the modernized sacraments and, on the other hand, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, who presently opposes this particular liberalization.

Meanwhile, in advance of the meeting, Francis himself is sending strong messages signaling his own intentions for the Synod. He recently called for a streamlining of the marriage annulment process - which already has been repeatedly simplified by Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI - the enable those seeking annulments to obtain them more easily and more swiftly (while safeguarding the Church's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, of course!) Francis also held on September 14 in Saint Peter's Basilica a group marriage ceremony for 20 couples, a number of whom were already living together in circumstances of fornication or adultery. Francis had reportedly told an Argentinian woman that she was free of sin and could take Communion even though she was living with another woman's husband. (The Vatican quickly "clarified" the point that Francis' private conversations do not constitute Church policy.)

Some relatively conservative novus ordo Catholics applauded Francis for upholding the importance of the marriage bond by marrying those who had been living together without the sacrament of Matrimony. But traditional Catholics understand that what was not done is most significant. The Catholic Church would traditionally require that those "living in sin" would first have to live separately for a time of preparation to receive the sacrament of Matrimony, because they were making a mockery of the sacrament and their vows by abusing marriage rights they could only have through their sacramental vows. Priests would then give them instruction about the Catholic doctrine governing marriage, its true meaning and rights and obligations. This would include oaths committing the couple to reject artificial contraception and to raise their children in the Catholic Faith. They would also have to confess their sins and receive absolution and do penance, including reparation for the scandal they had given to the other souls.

None of the provisions were even mentioned in the many religious or secular reports about the sudden group marriage event in the Vatican. In light of the free-wheeling treatment of marriage by the novas ordo in general, and by Francis in particular, there is a strong presumption that none of the steps were required. Of course, Matrimony is a sacrament of the living, and, as such, to receive it in the state of mortal sin is a sacrilege. But sacrilege is the "new order" of the day.