text: "In the history of the church, under the influence of Roman law, Jesus' teachings were systematized and codified. This made it easier to train priests to deal with most of the moral cases they would face. The best of theologians and teachers always knew the need for flexibility in applying such laws, but many of their students simply applied the rules mechanically. For priests lacking education or sophistication, following the rule was safe. Too much flexibility would breed uncertainty and chaos.  This led to a perversion of Jesus' teaching that forced women to stay in abusive relationships simply because they were married. "
  
  Is this meant to imply there was an era in Catholicism where Francis' ideas of pastoral mercy for the divorced were implemented on a significant scale?  I don't know, just asking the question.
  
  I think the answer is important, because if there was such an era, it would strongly bolster Francis' case about pastoral mitigation of divorce dogma.