IT MAY not quite be a schism, but it is certainly a significant event in the high politics of the Catholic church. Earlier this year, in a move that seemed to many non-Catholics like a concession to humanity and common sense, Pope Francis cautiously opened the window to the possibility of people who divorce and remarry being admitted to the Eucharist, the church's most important rite or sacrament.
To clarify: this is a problem that arises only for those who have obtained a civil divorce, but not gone through the burdensome procedure of getting a marriage religiously annulled. In the eyes of the church, they are still wedded to their initial spouses. Millions of would-be faithful Catholics are denied the Eucharist because of this policy.
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