Pope 'phones divorced woman to tell her she can take Holy Communion' .

Major change in Catholic church as Pope Francis makes radical move for Catholic Church as he tells Jacquelina Sabetta she can take communion despite being divorced 20 years ago

Mirror UK reports: The Pope reportedly told a divorcee she CAN take Holy Communion in what could herald a major change to Catholic teaching.

Pope Francis rang Jacquelina Sabetta out of the blue on Easter Monday after she wrote to him six months ago.

Mrs Sabetta wrote she was distressed that, having divorced over 20 years ago and then remarried in a civil ceremony, she could not take Communion in church.

Mum-of-two Mrs Sabetta, who has been married to her second husband for 19 years, said she was worried that if she did take Communion she would be ‘violating Church rules’.

The Pope, who also comes from Argentina, phoned Mrs Sabetta at her home in the central region of Santa Fe, according to Italian newspaper reports.

Introducing himself by his former title Father Bergoglio, the Pope is said to have apologised for taking so long to call before telling her: “It is an issue we are discussing in the Vatican, because a divorcee who takes communion is not doing anything wrong.”

The Pope’s reported remarks would mark a significant change in Catholic Church doctrine and are in line with the Pontiff’s more compassionate attitude towards divorcees.

The Church currently says that unless a first marriage is annulled, Catholics who remarry cannot receive Communion because they are essentially living in sin and committing adultery.

Annulments are very difficult to obtain and can take years to process, leaving many devotees feeling rejected by the Church.

A Vatican spokesman refused to confirm or deny the contents of the phone call, adding: “This was a private telephone call made by the Holy Father and we would not divulge the details.”

The call was revealed by Mrs Sabetta’s husband, pastry chef Julio Sabetta, who said he took the call before passing the phone to his wife.

He wrote on his Facebook page: “One of the most wonderful things in my life has just happened – receiving a telephone call from none other than Papa Francesco.

“We’re Catholics, we believe in God, and though we don’t go to Mass every Sunday, every evening we thank the Lord for our family and our work.”

Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, is a tradition where believers receive consecrated bread and wine.