For only the third time in Church history, Pope Francis has convened an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the fall of 2014 to discuss "pastoral challenges of the family” that are expected to include issues relating to divorced and remarried Catholics.

Vatican Information Service is reporting that bishops meet in an extraordinary assembly only when the matter under consideration requires rapid definition.

“It is very important that an extraordinary Synod has been convoked on the theme of the pastoral of the family”, said the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J.

“This is the way in which the Pope intends to promote reflection and to guide the path of the community of the Church, with the responsible participation of the episcopate from different parts of the world.”

The Synod is expected to include an examination of the Church's pastoral approach to divorced and remarried Catholics, a subject that both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI often mention.

The Synod will be held in the Vatican from October 5-19, 2014.

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