At the beginning of the new judicial year of Roman Rota, Pope Francis received members of the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota on Thursday. In his speech, he stressed that in the work of this Court there must always be understanding for people who suffer because of the breakdown of their marriage.
Speaking to those gathered, the Holy Father reminded them that their mission is to be at the service of families.
“For those who have experienced a marriage breakdown and, at the same time, for the harmony of relationships within the ecclesial community, ” said the Pope.
Synodality said Pope Francis, “implies walking together.” He went on to say, “we need to rediscover that all the participants in the process are called to contribute to the same objective, that of shining a light on the truth about a concrete union between a man and a woman, and reaching a conclusion as to whether or not there is a true marriage between them.”
He stressed that even at the preliminary stage when the faithful seek pastoral help, “there must be an effort to discover the truth about their union, an indispensable prerequisite for the healing of wounds.”
The Pope added, “when presenting the possibility of nullity, it is necessary to make the faithful reflect on the reasons that lead them to request the declaration of nullity of matrimonial consent.”
He noted that the same objective of a shared search for the truth “must characterize every stage of the judicial process.”
Any deliberate alteration or manipulation of the facts “in order to achieve a pragmatically desired result is inadmissible,” he said.
“Even lawyers,” added Pope Francis, in off-the-cuff remarks, “can do terrible damage.” The fact of walking together in judgment “is valid for the parties and their patrons, for the witnesses called to declare according to the truth, for the experts who must put their knowledge at the service of the process, as well as in a particular way for the judges”.