A third way that goes beyond the extreme positions of those who, on the one hand, would like to introduce radical changes in the Catholic doctrine and practice of marriage, by allowing the dissolution of the bond and a second marriage, and those who, on the other, adhere to a more "traditional" positions.
This proposal is advanced in an essay by the French Dominican theologian Thomas Michelet, a doctoral student at the Theological Faculty of Fribourg (Switzerland), which has been published in the journal Nova & Vetera with the title "The Synod on the Family: The Way of ''Ordo Paenitentium."
Fr. Michelet suggests establishing an "ordo paenitentium" for those who are in a persistent condition of incompatibility with the God’s law and embark on a journey of conversion that can last for many years or even a lifetime, but always in an ecclesial, liturgical and sacramental context that accompany their "pilgrimage."
This proposed order of penitents is modeled on the sacrament of penance practiced in the early Church, in a renewed form. Although they are not able to receive the Eucharistic Communion, the penitents would not find themselves excluded from the sacramental life, because their journey of conversion itself is a sacrament and a source of grace.
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