Meeting Summary

The Diocese of Port Louis in Mauritius shared a pastoral initiative they developed in response to Pope Francis’s Amoris Laetitia, designed to accompany divorced and remarried Catholics back into fuller participation in the life of the Church. The program — called “Deepening of Faith and Discernment” — was initiated by Cardinal Piat and has been running for three years, now in its third cohort.

The program runs for seven months. Participants meet fortnightly in small groups, work individually with a spiritual director between sessions, and attend two residential retreats. Crucially, even when couples register together, they journey separately — in different groups with different spiritual directors — so that each person can encounter God and shed light on their personal history without inhibition. The program draws on Ignatian spirituality and is rooted firmly in scripture and guided prayer.

At the end of the journey, each participant writes a personal letter to the bishop. The bishop then undertakes his own discernment — consulting the program team and spiritual directors as a group — and responds in writing to each person individually. Outcomes vary: some are encouraged to continue their spiritual journey, some are directed toward the marriage tribunal, and some — by exception, not as a rule — are given permission to receive Confession and the Eucharist.

About the Presenters

Fr Patrice De La Salle SJ is a French Jesuit priest, holder of degrees in philosophy, psychology, and mathematics, and a theology teacher and spiritual retreat facilitator. He lived in Mauritius from 2021 to 2025, during which time he designed the “Deepening of Faith and Discernment” program and authored the book Love and Truth Meet: Towards Greater Integration into the Church of Divorced Persons in New Unions.

Jennifer and Olivier Constantin are a married couple appointed by the Bishop of Port Louis to the diocese’s family ministry. Alongside their work in marriage preparation and baptism preparation, they have coordinated and facilitated every cohort of the program since its launch. Jennifer in particular has played a central role in bringing the initiative to life from the beginning.

Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône is the 12th Bishop of Port Louis, appointed by Pope Francis in 2023. He continued the pastoral initiative begun under Cardinal Piat and is responsible for the personalised discernment process at the conclusion of each program — consulting with the facilitation team and spiritual directors before responding individually in writing to each participant.

Key Takeaways

  • The program is individual, not couples-based. Even when partners register together, they journey in separate groups with separate spiritual directors — this is what allows deep personal healing to emerge, including wounds that predate the marriage breakdown entirely.
  • Healing, not sacramental access, is the primary fruit. Participants consistently described forgiving former spouses, rediscovering themselves as beloved children of God, and finding peace — often around things unrelated to their divorce.
  • Access to Communion is a possible outcome, not a guaranteed one. It is a “rule by exception,” granted only after both the participant’s own discernment and the bishop’s synodal process — and roughly half of participants have received it so far.
  • The program works best for those who have been in their second relationship for at least five years and who are willing to honestly examine their past and present. Those who pray regularly tend to have stronger outcomes, though the program itself draws even non-praying participants into a prayer life.
  • Synodality is built into every stage — from the extensive listening done across clergy, associations, and lay people during the design phase, to the bishop’s consultative process with the team before responding to each person.

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