Keep door open to divorced Catholics who remarry: Pope

Vatican City: Pope Francis says divorced Catholics who remarry and their children deserve better treatment from the Catholic church.

Francis reminded pastors in a speech today that such Catholics aren't excommunicated, even though they're sometimes treated as if they are.

Catholic teaching says divorced Catholics who remarry are living in sin and are not allowed to receive Communion.

Francis' emphasis on the importance of mercy in church leadership has raised hope among many divorced Catholics that he might lift the Communion ban.

In his speech, Francis did not go that far. But he said these couples' children suffer because estrangement from full participation in the church makes it harder for the parents to raise their children as Catholics.

He said pastors shouldn't "add more weight" to what these children suffer from failed marriages.