New era for the Vatican? Pope Leo signals major shift in marriage rules

New era for the Vatican? Pope Leo signals major shift in marriage rules



Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech during the weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on October 7, 2026. — AFP pic


Summary

• Pope Leo XIV has called for the Roman Catholic Church to reconsider its approach to supporting families and addressing failed marriages during a significant religious assembly in Vatican City.
• In his address, he urged reflection on handling situations of fragility and apparent failures, without explicitly mentioning divorce.
• This assembly revisits issues raised by the late Pope Francis' 2016 "Amoris Laetitia," which suggested case-by-case Communion eligibility for divorced and remarried Catholics, a topic of ongoing debate.
• The weeklong assembly will also explore broader matters such as welcoming the LGBTQ community, concluding with a comprehensive report.

First Published: Thursday, 08 Oct 2026 8:53 AM MYT


VATICAN CITY, Oct 8 — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called on the Roman Catholic Church to revise the way it helps families and handles failed marriages as he opened a major weeklong religious assembly.

With the church debating how it recognises separations, Leo did not directly mention divorce but called on Catholic leaders to reflect on the “experience of fragility” and the handling of “situations marked by limitations, wounds, and apparent failures.”

Leo’s predecessor, Francis, who died in 2025, made a tentative step in 2016 for Catholics who have divorced and remarried in civil ceremonies to receive Communion. It sparked a Church-wide debate and pushback from conservative Catholics. Leo’s address was made to a week-long closed assembly of bishops from 120 countries, who will be joined by leaders from Eastern churches, experts, theologians and 11 lay couples to mark the 10th anniversary of the late Pope Francis’ “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) document.


According to Church teaching, a Catholic who divorces and then remarries in a civil ceremony remains bound by the first marriage, unless it was officially annulled, and cannot receive communion.


“Amoris Laetitia” introduced the possibility of case-by-case decisions, without challenging the principle that a Catholic marriage cannot be dissolved.


Leo said: “Young people continue to aspire to love, fidelity, and a sense of belonging, but many struggle to envision how such a vision of love can take shape in their own lives.”

“In many contexts, a gap has widened between the way sexuality and intimacy are experienced and the Christian vision of marriage,” he said.


The assembly, which is to release a final report, is to discuss marriage and difficulties faced in life and could look at ways to welcome the LGBTQ community, another one of Francis’ concerns. — AFP

UK to start expelling diplomats from Israel

Nury Vittachi

 

Favorites ·8 hours ago ·

UK LEADERS WARNED Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu that they will expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat Israel forces to leave Jerusalem this week, it was reported yesterday by Ynet, an Israeli newspaper.

Israel has also said it will revoke the credentials of Dutch diplomats’ mission to Palestine.

Other countries, including Canada, France, and many European nations, are watching anxiously, as their positions on Israel's huge encroachment on the West Bank echo that of the UK and the Netherlands.

The London-Tel Aviv diplomatic row threatens to have enormous implications, removing key elements of the west’s support for Israel, and changing the status quo in East Jerusalem.

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COUNTRIES BANNING GOODS

What happened: The UK and other nations last month said they would ban Israeli goods made in illegally occupied West Bank areas. Participants include Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, ⁠Poland, Portugal, Spain, ⁠and Sweden.

The UK, normally a staunch backer of Israel, has also recently made further small concessions to the British public, which has long wanted their country to halt support.

In retaliation, Israel threatened to close the UK Consulate in East Jerusalem this week.

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RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED NATIONS

But East Jerusalem is recognised by the United Nations (and most countries) as being occupied Palestinian territory—so such an Israeli action would destroy the status quo, establishing Israel as being in charge of that Palestinian area, diplomats told the Guardian newspaper.

The UK Foreign Office has not officially confirmed details of the argument—but did not deny the reports. (The UK has two diplomatic missions in Israel/ Palestine, an embassy in Israeli territory and a consulate in the Palestinian part of Jerusalem.)

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GROWING RIFT

The fracture shows a growing rift between Israel and its most enthusiastic supporters in the west.

Even in the US, the majority of Democratic Party members no longer support Israel.

But other Washington-allied governments remain fiercely loyal to Israel and the US administration, including those in Taiwan and Australia.

Taiwan’s unpopular DPP government is not just cheering the illegal encroachment on the West Bank, but is financing a building there.

 

Dutch Defence Ministry Confirms Ukraine Aid Is Undermining Army Readiness and NATO Goals

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

October-7th-2026

Dutch Army 155mm Mobile Howitzers

Military assistance provided by the Netherlands to Ukraine is having a significant effect on the combat readiness of the Dutch armed forces and is complicating the country’s ability to fulfil NATO military capability targets, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defence. The ministry described the effect of military assistance to Ukraine as a “displacing effect” on the readiness of the Dutch armed forces and the fulfilment of NATO objectives. The ministry declined to publicly identify which NATO targets had been delayed or affected or provide details of the current readiness level of individual Dutch units. The admission provides an indication of the growing tension between providing military equipment to Ukraine, and maintaining national inventories at the levels required for a major conventional conflict. 

Dutch Army Mortars

The Dutch experience reflects a broader problem across NATO. European armed forces entered the war in Ukraine with inventories designed primarily for peacetime requirements and relatively short high-intensity contingencies. Six years of sustained Ukrainian demand for artillery ammunition, air-defence interceptors, anti-tank weapons, armoured vehicles and other equipment have exposed limitations in both stockpiles and industrial production capacity. According to the Dutch Defence Ministry, the country had provided approximately €11.7 billion in military support to Ukraine by February 2026. Artillery ammunition has been one of the most visible examples, with European countries have supplied Ukraine with millions of rounds, which new production has been far from sufficient to replenish. 

Ukrainian Patriot System Milliseconds Before Destruction By Russian Iskander Ballistic Missile Strike - Telegram

The extreme depletion of European arsenals has gained growing attention as tensions with Russia have escalated. German officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal in March warned that the country has been left poorly protected against potential air or missile attacks due to the transfer of military systems, and particularly MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence systems, to Ukraine. The issue has been exacerbated by the more recent deployment of remaining Patriot systems to protect Poland on NATO's eastern flank from late 2025.

Launchers from German MIM-104 Patriot System

Germany was alongside the Netherlands and the United States one of the first three countries to donate Patriot systems to Ukraine in early 2023. In April 2024 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed the exhaustion of the country’s capacity to make further donations, stating: “Unfortunately, the stocks, especially our own Patriot systems, are now pretty much exhausted. Therefore I made it clear at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting that we need to check the availability of all Patriot systems in Europe and globally, and that we will make every effort to obtain these systems for Ukraine.”