On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
I’m divorced and not annulled… and I’ve been happily remarried for many years. Does what the pope said last week mean I can take communion if I start going to Mass again without going through the annulment process?
What Pope Francis said is that situations differ… and the Church needs to be more pastoral in the way it listens and counsels those in situations like yours. For example, there’s likely a difference between someone who began an extramarital affair, then walked out on the spouse and children six months 
ago, and someone who suffered spousal abuse. His “Joy of Love” exhortation included this language: “Discernment can recognize that in a particular situation no grave fault exists.”
If you talked with a priest before your remarriage, consider resuming the conversation with him or a priest at a nearby parish. Be open to the possibility of an annulment, just as you would like the priest to be open to hearing the story of what happened. And remember, while the Eucharist is the centerpiece of the Mass, there are many ways in which you can be part of a parish community even if that sacrament is not available to you at this time. Give it a try.
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