Pope Francis opened a divisive meeting of the world's bishops on family issues Sunday by forcefully asserting that marriage is an indissoluble bond between man and woman.<br />But he said the church doesn't judge and must "seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy."<br />Francis dove head-on into the most pressing issue confronting the meeting of 270 bishops during a solemn Mass in St. Peter's Basilica: How to better minister to Catholic families experiencing separation, divorce and other problems when the church's teaching holds that marriage is forever.<br />He insisted that the church cannot be "swayed by passing fads or popular opinion."<br />But in an acknowledgment that marriages fail, he said the church is also a mother, who doesn't point fingers or judge her children.
