Divorce for Roman Catholics has historically been extremely difficult. The issue was actually a key factor in the UK’s break from the Catholic Church when Henry VIII tried unsuccessfully to get his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled.
Much has changed since then of course but it remains very much a last resort for Catholics. Great efforts will be made before couples get married to teach about the importance of marriage and working through problems rather than take the final option of divorce.
While the Pope is not exactly welcoming divorce, he is hoping to make it easier for people who no longer wish to be married to have their marriages annulled. In doing so the Pope has reformed the processes for annulling marriages. Fast track decisions are now allowed while automatic appeals which hold things up for quite some time in many cases will be removed.
While couples can still get their divorce by conventional means, those with a strong Catholic faiths will be relieved that they can get their marriages annulled by the church and be allowed to receive communion.
Couples who don’t have their marriages annulled by the church are considered adulterers.