N20160406 al 11 iglesia internacional

6 al 11 de abril de 2016
Contenido
ESPECIAL EXHORTACIÓN LA ALEGRÍA DEL AMOR..............................2
Amoris Laetitia. La Alegría del Amor............................................................................2
Massimo Faggioli: What Is Francis Saying with 'Amoris Laetitia'? ..............................3
Thomas Reese | 'Amoris Laetitia': Start with Chapter 4 ................................................6
Christopher Lamb in Rome |.. Apostolic Exhortation on the family: Pope Francis is
calling for a new openness on the part of the Church...................................................12
The apostolic exhortation 'The Joy of Love' is published today and signals the start of
a more flexible, understanding Church.........................................................................12
Christopher Lamb in Rome: Five things to remember about the Pope’s synod
document.......................................................................................................................14
Sean Smith: Amoris Laetitia opens the way to holy communion for divorced and
remarrieds .....................................................................................................................16
"Amoris Laetitia": Le pape dans la ligne du synode ...................................................17
L’Exhortation apostolique ‘Amoris Laetitia’, de A à Z ...............................................19
Anthony Faiola: Pope Francis talks about love — and sex..........................................22
James Martin, S.J.: Top Ten Takeaways from “Amoris Laetitia”................................23
Megan K. McCabe: Francis, Family and Feminism.....................................................25
“Acompañar, discernir e integrar”, claves de “Amoris Laetitia”, exhortación
postsinodal ....................................................................................................................27
Francis’ Message Calls on Church to Be Inclusive ......................................................34
Jesús Martínez Gordo, Sobre "La Alegría del Amor" ..................................................37
Jesús Bastante: La nota 351 y los malos defensas centrales.........................................38
Cardenal Schonborn: "Algo ha cambiado en el discurso eclesial"...............................39
Juan Masiá: Francisco, discernidor...............................................................................43
Xabier Pikaza: "Amoris Laetitia (Alegría de amor). El Papa abre una puerta"............44
Marco A. Velásquez La alegría del amor: de la desilusión a la esperanza...................49
REFORMAS....................................................................................................................52
Papa y el C9 continúan profundizando en la sinodalidad del gobierno de la Iglesia ...52
MENSAJES.....................................................................................................................54
Confirmado: Francisco viajará a Lesbos el 16 de abril ................................................54

Francisco: "La persecución y los sufrimientos son parte del testimonio cristiano" .....54
"Hay que pararse a dar limosna y no escudarse en si se lo van a gastar en vino" ........55
Francisco denuncia a los "doctores de la letra" que "juzgan a los demás usando la
Palabra de Dios" ...........................................................................................................59
AMERICA LATINA....................................................................................................60
Pedro Casaldáliga, junto con la Iglesia de São Félix do Araguaia, defiende la
democracia en Brasil.....................................................................................................60
ESPECIAL EXHORTACIÓN LA ALEGRÍA DEL AMOR
Amoris Laetitia. La Alegría del Amor
Lea aquí la exhortación pastoral
"No recomiendo una lectura general apresurada"
Redacción, 08 de abril de 2016
(Papa Francisco).- La alegría del amor que se vive en las familias es también el júbilo de
la Iglesia. Como han indicado los Padres sinodales, a pesar de las numerosas señales de
crisis del matrimonio, «el deseo de familia permanece vivo, especialmente entre los
jóvenes, y esto motiva a la Iglesia». Como respuesta a ese anhelo «el anuncio cristiano
relativo a la familia es verdaderamente una buena noticia».
2. El camino sinodal permitió poner sobre la mesa la situación de las familias en el
mundo actual, ampliar nuestra mirada y reavivar nuestra conciencia sobre la importancia
del matrimonio y la familia. Al mismo tiempo, la complejidad de los temas planteados nos
mostró la necesidad de seguir profundizando con libertad algunas cuestiones doctrinales,
morales, espirituales y pastorales. La reflexión de los pastores y teólogos, si es fiel a la
Iglesia, honesta, realista y creativa, nos ayudará a encontrar mayor claridad. Los debates
que se dan en los medios de comunicación o en publicaciones, y aun entre ministros de la
Iglesia, van desde un deseo desenfrenado de cambiar todo sin suficiente reflexión o
fundamentación, a la actitud de pretender resolver todo aplicando normativas generales o
derivando conclusiones excesivas de algunas reflexiones teológicas.
3. Recordando que el tiempo es superior al espacio, quiero reafirmar que no todas las
discusiones doctrinales, morales o pastorales deben ser resueltas con intervenciones
magisteriales.Naturalmente, en la Iglesia es necesaria una unidad de doctrina y de praxis,
pero ello no impide que subsistan diferentes maneras de interpretar algunos aspectos de la
doctrina o algunas consecuencias que se derivan de ella. Esto sucederá hasta que el Espíritu
nos lleve a la verdad completa (cf. Jn 16,13), es decir, cuando nos introduzca perfectamente
en el misterio de Cristo y podamos ver todo con su mirada. Además, en cada país o región
se pueden buscar soluciones más inculturadas, atentas a las tradiciones y a los desafíos
locales, porque «las culturas son muy diferentes entre sí y todo principio general [...]
necesita ser inculturado si quiere ser observado y aplicado»[3].

4. De cualquier manera, debo decir que el camino sinodal ha contenido una gran belleza y
ha brindado mucha luz. Agradezco tantos aportes que me han ayudado a contemplar
los problemas de las familias del mundo en toda su amplitud. El conjunto de las
intervenciones de los Padres, que escuché con constante atención, me ha parecido un
precioso poliedro, conformado por muchas legítimas preocupaciones y por preguntas
honestas y sinceras. Por ello consideré adecuado redactar una Exhortación apostólica
postsinodal que recoja los aportes de los dos recientes Sínodos sobre la familia, agregando
otras consideraciones que puedan orientar la reflexión, el diálogo o la praxis pastoral y, a la
vez, ofrezcan aliento, estímulo y ayuda a las familias en su entrega y en sus dificultades.
5. Esta Exhortación adquiere un sentido especial en el contexto de este Año Jubilar de la
Misericordia. En primer lugar, porque la entiendo como una propuesta para las familias
cristianas, que las estimule a valorar los dones del matrimonio y de la familia, y a sostener
un amor fuerte y lleno de valores como la generosidad, el compromiso, la fidelidad o la
paciencia. En segundo lugar, porque procura alentar a todos para que sean signos de
misericordia y cercanía allí donde la vida familiar no se realiza perfectamente o no se
desarrolla con paz y gozo.
6. En el desarrollo del texto, comenzaré con una apertura inspirada en las Sagradas
Escrituras, que otorgue un tono adecuado. A partir de allí, consideraré la situación actual
de las familias en orden a mantener los pies en la tierra. Después recordaré algunas
cuestiones elementales de la enseñanza de la Iglesia sobre el matrimonio y la familia, para
dar lugar así a los dos capítulos centrales, dedicados al amor. A continuación destacaré
algunos caminos pastorales que nos orienten a construir hogares sólidos y fecundos según
el plan de Dios, y dedicaré un capítulo a la educación de los hijos. Luego me detendré en
una invitación a la misericordia y al discernimiento pastoral ante situaciones que no
responden plenamente a lo que el Señor nos propone, y por último plantearé breves líneas
de espiritualidad familiar.
7. Debido a la riqueza de los dos años de reflexión que aportó el camino sinodal, esta
Exhortación aborda, con diferentes estilos, muchos y variados temas. Eso explica su
inevitable extensión. Por eso no recomiendo una lectura general apresurada. Podrá ser
mejor aprovechada, tanto por las familias como por los agentes de pastoral familiar, si la
profundizan pacientemente parte por parte o si buscan en ella lo que puedan necesitar en
cada circunstancia concreta. Es probable, por ejemplo, que los matrimonios se identifiquen
más con los capítulos cuarto y quinto, que los agentes de pastoral tengan especial interés en
el capítulo sexto, y que todos se vean muy interpelados por el capítulo octavo. Espero
que cada uno, a través de la lectura, se sienta llamado a cuidar con amor la vida de las
familias, porque ellas «no son un problema, son principalmente una oportunidad»[4].
Para leer el texto íntegro, pincha aquí:
Massimo Faggioli: What Is Francis Saying with 'Amoris Laetitia'?
Commonweal, April 8, 2016 -
Amoris Laetitia, the fruit of the long “synodal process” that unfolded between 2014 and
2015, is in keeping with what we’ve come to understand as Pope Francis’s pastoral and

nonacademic style. The exhortation draws from his previous catechesis and that of John
Paul II, as well as from the documents of bishops’ conferences around the world. And, at
52,500 words, it is very long. But how does the document actually address the at-times
contentiously debated issues that arose in the course of the two synod gatherings in Rome?
If there’s an interpretative key, it’s this statement that appears early on in the text: “I would
make it clear that not all discussions of doctrinal, moral or pastoral issues need to be settled
by interventions of the magisterium. Unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in
the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that
teaching or drawing certain consequences from it.” Yet Amoris Laetitia is a carefully
constructed document that will give none of the most vocal factions on opposing sides of an
issue any reason to claim “victory” or “defeat.” Pope Francis has issued an exhortation that
represents the first attempt by a pope to demonstrate how the episcopal collegiality of
Vatican II is supposed to work. Relying heavily on the final synod reports of 2014 and
2015, the document takes into account the real and divisive debates that took place at the
synod on the issues of family, marriage and divorce, and homosexuality. In its section on
the pastoral accompaniment of difficult situations, for example, Francis quotes extensively
from the three paragraphs of the synod’s final 2015 report that received the highest number
of negative votes: Paragraph 84 (seventy-two “no” votes); 85 (eighty “no” votes); and 86
(sixty-four “no” votes).
Amoris Laetitia is generally characterized by three identifiable types of text. The first type
draws from Francis’s previous teaching to help illustrate his intentions and where he wants
to lead the Church; another seems to strive for compromise between the orientations that
became evident in the course of synodal debate. The third touches on gender, on the
masculine and the feminine, and on education in the family; it is the weakest part of the
document.
Where Francis wants to take the Church is suggested in Chapter 2, paragraphs 36 to 38:
We need a healthy dose of self-criticism. Then too, we often present marriage in such a way
that its unitive meaning, its call to grow in love and its ideal of mutual assistance are
overshadowed by an almost exclusive insistence on the duty of procreation … We have
long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without
encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support to families,
strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to marital life … Many people feel
that the Church’s message on marriage and the family does not clearly reflect the preaching
and attitudes of Jesus, who set forth a demanding ideal yet never failed to show compassion
and closeness to the frailty of individuals like the Samaritan woman or the woman caught
in adultery.
In Chapter 8, there is a statement on the need to differentiate and distinguish between
different situations of divorced and remarried Catholics and about the value of civil
marriage. Particularly interesting (if we recall the sharp exchanges on this issue between
cardinals, especially the opening statement of Hungary’s Cardinal Péter Erdő at the 2015
synod) is the reference to the “law of gradualness” (in paragraph 295, quoting John Paul II):
“This is not a ‘gradualness of law’ but rather a gradualness in the prudential exercise of free
acts on the part of subjects who are not in a position to understand, appreciate, or fully
carry out the objective demands of the law.”
In Chapter 8, Francis also takes up the question of discernment when it comes to difficult
cases that do not coincide with the teaching of the Church: “This discernment is dynamic; it
must remain ever open to new stages of growth and to new decisions which can enable the

ideal to be more fully realized” (paragraph 303). Very important in this section are the
footnotes—especially footnote 329, on how “faithfulness is endangered and the good of
children suffers” if “certain expressions of intimacy” are lacking when divorced and
remarried Catholics live together “as brothers and sisters.” There is no mention of “spiritual
communion” (that is, non-sacramental) for divorced and remarried Catholics—a significant
change from the pre-Francis period.
And, as to the issue of access to the Eucharist for divorced and remarried, there is a narrow
but visible crack in the door:
Neither the Synod nor this Exhortation could be expected to provide a new set of general
rules, canonical in nature and applicable to all cases. What is possible is simply a renewed
encouragement to undertake a responsible personal and pastoral discernment of particular
cases, one which would recognize that, since ‘the degree of responsibility is not equal in all
cases,’ the consequences or effects of a rule need not necessarily always be the same […]
‘Given that gradualness is not in the law itself (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 34), this
discernment can never prescind from the Gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed
by the Church. For this discernment to happen, the following conditions must necessarily
be present: humility, discretion and love for the Church and her teaching, in a sincere
search for God’s will and a desire to make a more perfect response to it.’ These attitudes
are essential for avoiding the grave danger of misunderstandings, such as the notion that
any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions,’ or that some people can obtain sacramental
privileges in exchange for favours [paragraph 300].
Francis seems to strive for compromise between the magisterial and the pastoral
sensibilities in Chapter 3, where Humanae Vitae is quoted but without emphasis on
contraception (paragraphs 68 and 82), and in Chapter 6, which highlights the role of
conscience (Gaudium et Spes) but also encouragement for natural family planning. There is
almost complete silence on homosexuality; only paragraphs 250 and 251 in Chapter 6
address it, and only with what amounts to a restatement from the Catechism: “Every
person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and
treated with consideration, while ‘every sign of unjust discrimination’ is to be carefully
avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence.” This is immediately followed
by a criticism of same-sex marriage: “There are absolutely no grounds for considering
homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for
marriage and family” (paragraph 251). This “compromise” likely reflects the 2015
pushback against comments on homosexuality made at the 2014 gathering.
The third kind of text--pertaining to gender, the masculine and the feminine, and education
in the family--sound painfully inadequate for a discourse on marriage and family. The
language seems dated, to say the least, and confirms Francis’s greatest weakness on one of
the most urgent issues in the contemporary Church: women.
Overall, Amoris Laetitia likely meets the hopes of those who were looking for some
pastoral change, but will disappoint those hoping naively for radical rethinking of doctrine.
Any movement in the short term on sensitive issues (especially on the divorced and
remarried) would likely have to stem from local bishops and pastors—bad news for a
significant number of Catholics. While Francis seems to take risks on issues of inclusion
and of defying the minority of traditionalists, he is less assertive on issues such as gender
and on education. Here we may be paying the price of the decades-long estrangement of the
magisterium from theology; even as Francis is bridging the gap between the magisterium
and pastoral reality, the gap between the magisterium and theology remains wide.

But the direction of this pontificate is toward a non-ideological magisterium, a more
inclusive Church, a Church of mercy. One of the most important sources for Amoris
Laetitia is Francis’s speech at the end of the Synod of 2015: “A pastor cannot feel that it is
enough simply to apply moral laws to those living in ‘irregular’ situations, as if they were
stones to throw at people’s lives. This would bespeak the closed heart of one used to hiding
behind the Church’s teachings, ‘sitting on the chair of Moses and judging at times with
superiority and superficiality difficult cases and wounded families’” (Chapter 8, paragraph
305).
It remains to be seen how the text will be received—among theologians, the faithful, and
especially by bishops. It wasn’t just during the days and weeks preceding publication that
the exhortation was the target of pre-emptive strikes from cardinals and bishops, but over
the entire length of the synodal process. This phenomenon was evident very early on in
Francis’s pontificate, yet after three years, the change he has introduced is undeniable.
Thomas Reese | 'Amoris Laetitia': Start with Chapter 4
Copies of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the family, "Amoris Laetitia" ("The Joy of
Love"), are seen during the document's release at the Vatican April 8. (CNS/Paul Haring)
NCR Apr. 8, 2016 Faith and Justice

If you are a layperson and want to read the pope’s apostolic exhortation on the family, skip
the first three chapters and start with Chapter 4. If you are a priest, moral theologian, or
divorced Catholic, read Chapter 8.
The 263-page exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”) was released at noon today
at the Vatican, 6 A.M. Eastern Time.
See NCR Vatican correspondent Joshua J. McElwee's breaking report: Francis'
exhortation a radical shift to see grace in imperfection, without fearing moral
confusion
The opening chapter is a scriptural reflection, but frankly it comes off as a collection of
Scripture references that don't really hang together well.
It is not that the chapter is bad; there are some good passages. For example, it is nice to see
a positive exegesis of Genesis's description of Eve as a helper fit for Adam. Later in
Chapter 4 he deals with St. Paul's wives "be subject to your husbands."
The second chapter examines "the actual situation of families, in order to keep firmly
grounded in reality." This chapter, like the first chapter of the pope's encyclical on the
environment, reflects the pope's insistence that facts matter.
I think it gives a realistic description of the state of family life, but there are a few surprises.
One remarkable feature of this chapter is its call for "a healthy dose of self-criticism" in the
church.
"We often present marriage in such a way that its unitive meaning, its call to grow in love
and its ideal of mutual assistance are overshadowed by an almost exclusive insistence on
the duty of procreation," he writes. "At times we have also proposed a far too abstract and
almost artificial theological ideal of marriage, far removed from the concrete situations and
practical possibilities of real families."
"We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often
respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying
out their own discernment in complex situations," he continues. "We have been called to
form consciences, not to replace them."
This chapter also calls for state action to promote employment, decent housing, and
adequate health care, as well as care for migrants and persons with special needs.
Most remarkable is the condemnation of the excesses of "patriarchal cultures" and "male
chauvinism," and the demand that we must "see in the women's movement the workings of
the Spirit for a clearer recognition of the dignity and rights of women."
The third chapter recalls "some essential aspects of the Church's teaching on marriage and
the family."
He starts by emphasizing that the church's "teaching on marriage and the family cannot fail
to be inspired and transformed by this message of love and tenderness; otherwise, it
becomes nothing more than the defense of a dry and lifeless doctrine."
Alas, the chapter does sometimes get bogged down in dry and lifeless doctrine, with
numerous quotes from the past three popes and Vatican II.
Let me emphasize, I am not saying don't read the first three chapters. Rather I am saying
begin at Chapter 4 and come back to these chapters later.
Chapter 4 is a masterpiece. It should be read by every couple planning to marry and every
couple who has been married for no matter how many years. Hopefully some publisher will

publish this chapter separately for marriage prep classes and marriage counseling as well as
for high school and college courses.
I have already had one argument over this chapter with a very wise old Jesuit who opined,
"what does he know about married life?" Although the Jesuit had not yet read the chapter,
he did reflect the many people who are tired of hearing celibate men go on and on about
married life.
So married people, read the chapter and let us know what you think of it. In the meantime, I
will describe what is in it.
The chapter is titled "Love in Marriage." It begins with a wonderful meditation on St. Paul's
lyrical passage on love in First Corinthians (13:4-7). He quotes Martin Luther King Jr. and
refers to the movie "Babette's Feast."
He sees Paul's hymn as a preparation to discuss conjugal love. "After the love that unites us
to God, conjugal love is the 'greatest form of friendship,'" he says, quoting St. Thomas
Aquinas.
The tone is pastoral and inspiration, not nagging or judgmental. One can only conclude
that, as a priest and bishop, he spent countless hours listening and dialoguing with couples
about their lived experience.
Chapter 5 deals with children in the family. For Pope Francis, this chapter and the previous
one are the "two central chapters dedicated to love."
In the love of parents for their children, Francis sees "a reflection of the primacy of the love
of God, who always takes the initiative," he says, "for children, are loved before having
done anything to deserve it."
He says that "large families are a joy to the church" but agrees with St. John Paul II that
that responsible parenthood does not mean "unlimited procreation or lack of awareness of
what is involved in rearing children, but rather the empowerment of couples to use their
inviolable liberty wisely and responsibly, taking into account social and demographic
realities, as well as their own situation and legitimate desires."
In the chapter, he speaks of pregnancy, and I will leave to mothers to report whether he got
that right, but it is clear he wants this to be a joyful experience for them.
He affirms the need and right of a child to have the love of a mother and father. Not just as
individuals, but "together they teach the value of reciprocity, of respect for differences and
of being able to give and take," he writes. "If for some inevitable reason one parent should
be lacking, it is important to compensate for this loss, for the sake of the child's healthy
growth and maturity."
Despite his emphasis on the need for two parents, in the next chapter he insists that "single
parents must receive encouragement and support from other families in the Christian
community, and from the parish's pastoral outreach." He notes that "often these families
endure other hardships, such as economic difficulties, uncertain employment prospects,
problems with child support and lack of housing."
Pope Francis says there is a special role for women in families. Despite the "legitimate and
indeed desirable" wish of women "to study, work, develop their skills and have personal
goals," he still affirms that "we cannot ignore the need that children have for a mother's
presence, especially in the first months of life."
I wonder how much his views are influenced by the fact that his own mother shipped him
off during the day to stay with his grandmother when things got hectic around the house
with the birth of another sibling.

"I certainly value feminism," he says, "but one that does not demand uniformity or negate
motherhood."
A mother who watches over her child with tenderness and compassion helps him or her to
grow in confidence and to experience that the world is a good and welcoming place. This
helps the child to grow in self-esteem and, in turn, to develop a capacity for intimacy and
empathy.
A father, for his part, helps the child to perceive the limits of life, to be open to the
challenges of the wider world, and to see the need for hard work and strenuous effort. A
father possessed of a clear and serene masculine identity who demonstrates affection and
concern for his wife is just as necessary as a caring mother.
There can be a certain flexibility of roles and responsibilities, depending on the concrete
circumstances of each particular family. But the clear and well-defined presence of both
figures, female and male, creates the environment best suited to the growth of the child.
He concludes that "in our day, the problem no longer seems to be the overbearing presence
of the father so much as his absence, his not being there."
On the other hand, in Chapter 8, he admits "that masculinity and femininity are not rigid
categories."
"Taking on domestic chores or some aspects of raising children does not make [the
husband] any less masculine or imply failure, irresponsibility or cause for shame," he says.
Nor does it "diminish the dignity of the father figure."
"A rigid approach turns into an overaccentuation of the masculine or feminine," he
continues, "and does not help children and young people to appreciate the genuine
reciprocity incarnate in the real conditions of matrimony. Such rigidity, in turn, can hinder
the development of an individual's abilities, to the point of leading him or her to think, for
example, that it is not really masculine to cultivate art or dance, or not very feminine to
exercise leadership."
Chapter 6 reflects "on some of the more significant pastoral challenges." This chapter is
addressed to bishops, priests and pastoral leaders in the church. He avoids detailed
specificity because "different communities will have to devise more practical and effective
initiatives that respect both the church's teaching and local problems and needs."
He speaks of the importance of proclaiming the gospel of the family, of preparing couples
for marriage, of training of lay leaders, and of supporting and accompanying married
couples as they continue their life together and experience crises, including breakdown and
divorce or death.
Noteworthy are his words about seminarians, who "should receive a more extensive
interdisciplinary, and not merely doctrinal, formation in the areas of engagement and
marriage."
"Their training does not always allow them to explore their own psychological and
affective background and experience," say the pope, who was once a seminary rector.
"There is a need to ensure that the formation process can enable them to attain the maturity
and psychological balance needed for their future ministry."
He also urges the presence of laypeople and "especially the presence of women in priestly
formation."
Chapter 7 deals with the education of children, which parents should take up "consciously,
enthusiastically, reasonably, and appropriately." He urges vigilance but not obsession.
"What is most important is the ability lovingly to help them grow in freedom, maturity,

overall discipline and real autonomy." He stresses the ethical and religious formation of
children.
For the most part, what he says is sensible and traditional, but he also raises new issues,
like the need for "technological disconnect."
He also echoes Vatican II's call for "a positive and prudent sex education." He
acknowledges that "it is not easy to approach the issue of sex education in an age when
sexuality tends to be trivialized and impoverished." He argues that "it can only be seen
within the broader framework of an education for love, for mutual self-giving." He is not
happy with sex education that deals primarily with "safe sex."
Chapter 8 is the chapter I said should be read by all priests, moral theologians, and divorced
Catholics, but it is worth reading for everyone. It is probably the best discussion of
conscience and sin that I have ever seen come out of the Vatican. It deserves much more
extensive treatment than I can give it here.
He begins by quoting the synodal fathers, who said although any breach of the marriage
bond "is against the will of God," still the church "turns with love to those who participate
in her life in an incomplete manner, recognizing that the grace of God works also in their
lives by giving them the courage to do good, to care for one another in love and to be of
service to the community in which they live and work."
In such cases, "respect also can be shown for those signs of love which in some way reflect
God's own love."
He cites the "law of gradualness," as articulated by St. John Paul II, through which each
human being "advances gradually with the progressive integration of the gifts of God and
the demands of God's definitive and absolute love in his or her entire personal and social
life."
Quoting the synod, he says there is a need "to avoid judgements which do not take into
account the complexity of various situations" and "to be attentive, by necessity, to how
people experience distress because of their condition."
Through dialogue and discernment, the church helps those in irregular marriages to
understand "the divine pedagogy of grace in their lives." He notes that the situations of
couples can be very different and should not be pigeonholed in rigid classifications.
One thing is a second union consolidated over time, with new children, proven fidelity,
generous self giving, Christian commitment, a consciousness of its irregularity and of the
great difficulty of going back without feeling in conscience that one would fall into new
sins. The Church acknowledges situations "where, for serious reasons, such as the
children's upbringing, a man and woman cannot satisfy the obligation to separate."
There are also the cases of those who made every effort to save their first marriage and
were unjustly abandoned, or of "those who have entered into a second union for the sake of
the children’s upbringing, and are sometimes subjectively certain in conscience that their
previous and irreparably broken marriage had never been valid." [quotes from John Paul
II].
Then there are recent divorces, "or the case of someone who has consistently failed in his
obligations to the family."
These all require careful discernment. No "easy recipes" exist, he says, quoting Pope
Benedict XVI. As a result, neither the synod nor the exhortation "could be expected to
provide a new set of general rules, canonical in nature and applicable to all cases."
"What is possible is simply a renewed encouragement to undertake a responsible personal
and pastoral discernment of particular cases, one which would recognize that, since [as the

synod said] 'the degree of responsibility is not equal in all cases,' the consequences or
effects of a rule need not necessarily always be the same."
Again quoting the synod, he agrees that "divorced and civilly remarried need to be more
fully integrated into Christian communities in the variety of ways possible, while avoiding
any occasion of scandal."
The divorced and remarried should ask themselves, again quoting the synod:
"How did they act towards their children when the conjugal union entered into crisis;
whether or not they made attempts at reconciliation; what has become of the abandoned
party; what consequences the new relationship has on the rest of the family and the
community of the faithful; and what example is being set for young people who are
preparing for marriage."
Such discernment, according to the synod, requires "humility, discretion and love for the
Church and her teaching, in a sincere search for God's will and a desire to make a more
perfect response to it."
This is quite different from "the notion that any priest can quickly grant 'exceptions,' or that
some people can obtain sacramental privileges in exchange for favors," Francis writes.
He then has a section on factors that can mitigate moral responsibility, which should be
considered in such a discernment.
"It can no longer simply be said that all those in any 'irregular' situation are living in a state
of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace," he writes.
Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he notes, "imputability and responsibility
for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear,
habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors."
Elsewhere, he notes the catechism refers to circumstances that mitigate moral responsibility
and mentions "affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other
psychological or social factors that lessen or even extenuate moral culpability."
Francis agrees with the synod: "While upholding a general rule, it is necessary to recognize
that responsibility with respect to certain actions or decisions is not the same in all cases."
But Pope Francis goes beyond just using conscience to recognize "that a given situation
does not correspond objectively to the overall demands of the Gospel."
He also says that "it can also recognize with sincerity and honesty what for now is the most
generous response which can be given to God, and come to see with a certain moral
security that it is what God himself is asking amid the concrete complexity of one's limits,
while yet not fully the objective ideal" (emphasis added).
Francis is saying that it is not enough to simply consider whether or not a person's actions
correspond to a general rule or law. "General rules set forth a good which can never be
disregarded or neglected," he says, "but in their formulation they cannot provide absolutely
for all particular situations."
Thus, for Pope Francis, "it is possible that in an objective situation of sin–which may not be
subjectively culpable, or fully such -- a person can be living in God's grace, can love and
can also grow in the life of grace and charity, while receiving the Church's help to this
end."
In a footnote (351) he says that "in certain cases, this can include the help of the
sacraments." He mentions both confession and Eucharist, which "is not a prize for the
perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."
Pope Francis understands that some want a more rigorous approach with no room for
confusion. "But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a Church attentive to the goodness

which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness, a Mother who, while clearly
expressing her objective teaching, always does what good she can, even if in the process,
her shoes get soiled by the mud of the street."
"The Church's pastors, in proposing to the faithful the full ideal of the Gospel and the
Church's teaching, must also help them to treat the weak with compassion, avoiding
aggravation or unduly harsh or hasty judgements."
He acknowledges that "mercy does not exclude justice and truth, but first and foremost we
have to say that mercy is the fullness of justice and the most radiant manifestation of God's
truth."
The final chapter is on the spirituality of marriage and family life.
He insists that the Lord dwells in real concrete families with all their "daily troubles and
struggles, joys and hopes." Living a life of love in such families is a means for deeper union
with God. "Spirituality becomes incarnate in the communion of the family."
"Those who have deep spiritual aspirations should not feel that the family detracts from
their growth in the life of the Spirit," he says, "but rather see it as a path which the Lord is
using to lead them to the heights of mystical union."
This is a papal document well worth the time to read and reflect on. Parts are dull; parts
inspire and delight; parts will give hope; and parts will infuriate. If it brings the
conversation about families out of the synodal hall and down to the parish and families
themselves, then it will be a success.
[Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a senior analyst for NCR and author of Inside the Vatican: The
Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. His email address is
treesesj@ncronline.org.]
Editor's note: We can send you an email alert every time Thomas Reese's column, Faith
and Justice, is posted. Go to this page and follow directions: Email alert sign-up.
Christopher Lamb in Rome |.. Apostolic Exhortation on the family: Pope
Francis is calling for a new openness on the part of the Church
The Tablet, 08 April 2016 |
The apostolic exhortation 'The Joy of Love' is published today and signals the start of a
more flexible, understanding Church
With his document on the family, Pope Francis has let a chink of light into the Church’s
window.
His apostolic exhortation, titled “Amoris Laetitia,” Latin for “The Joy of Love”, signals the
start of a more flexible, understanding Church. No longer is it acceptable to "throw stones"
of doctrine at those struggling in their personal lives, and things are not just about the rules.
What used to be black and white are various shades of grey.
Let’s be clear, the Pope has not changed any doctrine. That was never his plan. But if there
is a bottom line it is this: mercy and the need to adopt a policy of radical inclusion in the
Church.

"No one can be condemned for ever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel!", the Pope
writes. "Here I am not speaking only of the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in
whatever situation they find themselves."
Reading the text - which reveals a sensitive and insightful understanding of the difficulties
facing marriages and families - the following points stand out:
 A stress on papal humility with Francis admitting he doesn’t have all the answers:
“Not all discussions of doctrinal, moral or pastoral issues need to be settled by interventions
of the magisterium,” Francis writes.
 Doors are open to the possibility of giving communion to divorced and remarried
Catholics.
 The Church can’t simply apply the rules; there is a need for discernment of
individual cases. Rome can no longer enforce a “one-size-fits-all" approach. The Pope says
that local churches are “better suited” to finding solutions sensitive to a country's traditions
and needs.
 Damning criticism of the Church’s past strategy on the family and an admission that
priests are inadequately prepared for dealing with complex situations.
 Francis says gay people should be given “respectful pastoral guidance” and adds
little on whether the Church should adopt a more welcoming approach.
On the hotly debated question of communion for divorced and remarried there isn’t a firm
answer but the direction of travel is clear. He repeats what the synod fathers agreed last
October that there should be a process of accompaniment and discernment using the
"internal forum". This would allow for an individual, under the guidance of a priest, to
assess whether he or she could receive the sacrament. Later, in a footnote, the Pope points
out that the Eucharist "is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and
nourishment for the weak". That is a clear hint.
Francis explains that divorced and remarried Catholics should not be "pigeonholed" and,
importantly, he uses welcoming language. Some second unions, he says, show "proven
fidelity, generous self giving, Christian commitment". This is very different from those
cardinals and other conservatives who describe remarried divorcees as living in "public
adultery".
What will most upset conservatives in this document, however, is what Francis says about
doctrine and the rules. Of course they have never been top priority for a Pope who says
“reality is greater than ideas”.
The implication is clear throughout: God doesn’t simply work through the rules and
doctrine; he can draw straight with crooked lines. For those who want the prim, proper and
ordered Church, Francis is not their man.
"I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for
confusion,” he says. “But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a Church attentive to the
goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness."
At one point in the exhortation Francis even suggests that through one’s conscience God
can ask someone to stay in a relationship even if it is “yet not fully the objective ideal”.
Here, it can be assumed he is talking about those divorced and remarried couples who have
children from the second relationship, or perhaps cohabiting couples who are unable to get
married due to financial pressures.
There is a fair bit of hedging and compromising in the document. The Pope says people
can’t just obtain “sacramental privileges”, nor can “particular circumstances” be elevated to

that of a rule. He has to be careful given the ferocious opposition he faced during the synod
gatherings and he does not want to threaten Church unity.
Where he is less compromising is in his highly critical assessment of the Catholic
leadership’s approach to family thus far.
"The way we present our Christian beliefs and treat other people has helped contribute to
today’s problematic situation [on the family]. We need a healthy dose of self-criticism,"
Francis writes.
Too often, the Pope explains, the Church was on the defensive and wasting its energy
"denouncing a decadent world". There is a stinging indictment of the clergy who he says
are simply not properly trained to deal with contemporary family difficulty, while some
priests, due to their "scrupulosity", cause mercy to be "obscured by the pursuit of a
supposedly pure justice".
Instead, there needs to be a new pastoral strategy based on understanding and love, rather
than doctrine and zeal. The main achievement of the exhortation, therefore, is a change in
style: a call for a new openness on the part of the Church. If doctrine is to be developed and
changed, that will happen later - but the Pope has set the ball in motion.
Christopher Lamb in Rome: Five things to remember about the Pope’s
synod document
06 April 2016 |
Pope Francis’ eagerly anticipated apostolic exhortation following two synods on the family
will be released on Friday morning. It brings to a head a process which started back in 2014
when ordinary Catholics were asked for their views on the Church’s approach to the family.
Since then, there has been heated debate on whether divorced and remarried Catholics
should be able to receive communion and the best approach to welcoming gay people.
Here are five points to bear in mind for when the document, titled “Amoris Laetitia” (“The
Joy of Love”), appears on 8 April.
1. This is not the final word
It might sound counter-intuitive but the Pope does not have the final word on the synod -
nor does he want it. Francis is keen to show that the Synod of Bishops is more than just a
talking shop. He is instead aiming for a Church that is “synodal”, meaning it is constantly
listening and learning.
"How would it have been possible to speak of the family without calling upon families,
listening to their joys and their hopes, their pains and their suffering?” the Pope said during
a speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops last October. For the Pope,
the synod is not an event but a process and one that will continue even after the apostolic
exhortation is published.
2. The Church moves slowly: the question is in which direction
Anyone expecting a doctrinal “revolution” from the exhortation is going to be disappointed;
even if he wanted to, making any dramatic changes to teaching is very difficult for the
Pope. Just look at the furious opposition to that “mid-term” document produced by the
synod in 2014 which suggested gay people have special gifts, while speaking positively

about couples whose relationships fall short of Church teaching. The apostolic exhortation
is unlikely to make a general allowance for remarried divorcees to receive the sacraments
but it may open up the possibility on a case-by-case basis. The point to remember is that
under John Paul II and Benedict XVI this matter was considered closed for discussion, but
under Francis the question is back on the table. While progress can seem agonisingly slow,
the direction of travel is clear.
3. Francis is happy with a mess
Many Catholics want a Pope who is going to constantly remind them of the rules and tell
them what the Church does and does not teach. But Francis is allergic to making faith into
ideology: his bottom line is mercy and how this can be applied to people’s lives. The Pope
doesn’t want anyone to feel excluded by the Church due to their marital situation or sexual
orientation.
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets,
rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own
security,” the Pope writes in Evangelii Gaudium, the document that is a mission statement
of his papacy.
When it comes to families, Francis knows things get complicated. The post-synod apostolic
exhortation is going to emphasise the need for the Church to accompany families in their
difficulties and to search out for the lost sheep. Things might get messy but the Pope is
happy with that.
4. Doctrine needs to be applied to ordinary situations
Many critics of the Pope and the synod process have said he has no right to try and change
the doctrine of the Church. In a letter sent to bishops last week on how to read the apostolic
exhortation, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary-general, takes on this charge.
He explains that doctrine needs to be set in a context and put at the “service of the pastoral
mission of the Church”. In other words, doctrine does not exist for itself as if it were a
museum piece no one can touch.
During last October’s synod, the German-speaking group cited the teaching of the great
doctor of the Church, St Thomas Aquinas, who argued that the principles of justice need to
be applied to particular situations. If developed, this notion can allow communion for
divorced and remarried in certain circumstances but without changing the Church’s
teaching.
The leader of that German group was Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop of
Vienna, who is presenting the exhortation to the media on Friday. No one could dismiss
him as a dangerous liberal given that he edited the Catechism of the Catholic Church under
John Paul II and is a former student of Benedict XVI. Some might see “applying doctrine”
as a form of casuistry or relativism but it is worth remembering that the Church can be as
pragmatic as it can be dogmatic.
5. A global Church cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach
Catholicism in the twenty-first century is a truly global institution. When it comes to the
family the synod displayed the huge variety of challenges facing the Church across the
world, including polygamy, war, poverty and migration.
What this means is that it is no longer viable for Rome to dictate a one-size-fits-all solution.
Instead, greater flexibility is needed for local dioceses to devise their own pastoral
strategies. Pope Francis has already called for a “healthy decentralisation” of power away
from the Vatican and is likely to make similar noises in the apostolic exhortation. This

approach may worry some who think it will lead to a confusing “postcode lottery” in the
Church with some dioceses taking a more liberal or conservative approach than others.
For Francis, however, giving local bishops freedom can help them better respond to the
needs of their people.
Overall, the apostolic exhortation is likely to keep in tune with the final synod document
agreed by a two-thirds majority of bishops last October. That text left a lot of doors open
when it came to communion for divorced and remarried Catholics and how to treat gay
people. Pope Francis is likely to do the same.
Sean Smith: Amoris Laetitia opens the way to holy communion for divorced
and remarrieds
The Tablet, 08 April 2016
Language of apostolic exhortation should allow priests to make judgments on a case by
case basis
Pope Francis has opened the way for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive holy
communion in the long-awaited publication on his comments on the two Synods of Bishops
On the Family today (Friday).
The 260-page apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia - authored by Pope Francis - was
published at 11am (BST) and the carefully chosen language is expected to allow enough
leeway to parish priests to make a judgment call on what has been a widely contentious
issue throughout Pope Francis’ reign.
"It can no longer simply be said that all those in any 'irregular' situation are living in a state
of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace," Francis writes in chapter 8.
"It is necessary to recognise that responsibility with respect to certain actions or decisions is
not the same in all cases," he says, arguing that "general rules set forth a good which can
never be disregarded or neglected, but in their formulation they cannot provide absolutely
for all particular situations".
Accepting that an "objective situation of sin" may not be "subjectively culpable, or fully
such" he says the Church has a responsibility regarding someone in a situation to which this
description applies. A person may need to "love and … also grow in the life of grace and
charity, while receiving the Church's help to this end." Then, in what will be seen by many
as an explosive footnote (351) he says that: "In certain cases, this can include the help of
the sacraments." He mentions both confession and Eucharist, which "is not a prize for the
perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."
In what many will read as departures from positions taken by Benedict XVI when he was
Pope, and beforehand when he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Francis remarks in footnote 329, on how "faithfulness is endangered and the good of
children suffers" if "certain expressions of intimacy" are lacking when divorced and
remarried Catholics live together "as brothers and sisters". It was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
who stipulated this requirement. As Pope Benedict XVI, he also emphasised the importance

of "spiritual communion" (that is, non-sacramental) for divorced and remarried Catholics.
Francis makes no mention of this either.
But there was no wriggle room for same-sex marriage as the apostolic exhortation, which is
the Pope’s response to the two Synods of Bishops on the Family at the Vatican in October
2014 and October 2015, was very clear that there was no path to same-sex unions being
blessed by the Roman Catholic church.
 ANALYSIS: A more flexible, understanding church - Christopher Lamb in Rome
"We need to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain
stability, but de facto or same-sex unions may not simply be equated with marriage. No
union that is temporarily closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future of society,”
the Pope wrote.
And he echoed the words of the bishops who wrote that there are "absolutely no grounds
for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to
God’s plan for marriage and family".
While the vast majority of the document ratifies the final document produced by the
bishops and handed to the Pope at the end of October, Francis did find space to criticise the
Catholic Church’s performance so far on the family. "The way we present our Christian
beliefs and treat other people has helped contribute to today’s problematic situation [on the
family]. We need a healthy dose of self-criticism," Francis writes.
Amoris Laetitia is Pope Francis’ second apostolic exhortation, after Evangelii Gaudium in
November 2013, a document widely seen as a blueprint for Francis’ papacy.
This will be the second papal exhortation on the theme of the family, following Familiaris
Consortio by St. John Paul II in 1981.
"Amoris Laetitia": Le pape dans la ligne du synode
08.04.2016 par I.MEDIA
Discernement, accompagnement, intégration… sont les mots-clefs de l’Exhortation
apostolique Amoris Laetitia du pape François “sur l’amour dans la famille“, un épais
document publié le 8 avril 2016 en conclusion des deux synodes sur ce thème.
Sans jamais vouloir fixer de norme générale, le chef de l’Eglise catholique ouvre avec
prudence la voie aux “familles blessées“. Il souhaite en particulier que les divorcés-
remariés soient “intégrés“ à la vie de l’Eglise après un “examen de conscience“ personnel
et pastoral. Dans une note de bas de page, il évoque leur participation à la vie sacramentelle
de l’Eglise “dans certains cas“ après avoir soutenu qu’il peut exister “différentes
interprétations“ de la doctrine et de ses conclusions.
Dans cet épais document de 260 pages, découpé en 325 paragraphes, le pape François tire
habilement les conclusions des synodes sur la famille d’octobre 2014 et 2015 et de la
consultation mondiale inédite qui y a été associée. Cette exhortation apostolique propose
des exemples concrets, connectés à la réalité des familles, et encourage largement les époux
chrétiens. Citant abondamment les rapports conclusifs des deux synodes et les écrits de ses
prédécesseurs, il appelle principalement l’Eglise à “intégrer tout le monde“, à accompagner
les couples en difficulté, à ne pas condamner “pour toujours“.

Avec une prudence toute jésuite, cependant, le pape reste sur la ligne globale du synode. Il
rappelle “l’idéal complet du mariage“ sans en cacher la complexité et ne propose pas
d’ouverture générale pour les divorcés-remariés, dont la situation a été largement évoquée
et fortement débattue lors des assises romaines. Dès le début, le pape François semble ainsi
ne pas vouloir trancher entre le “désir effréné de tout changer sans une réflexion suffisante
ou sans fondement“ et “la prétention de tout résoudre en appliquant des normes générales
ou bien en tirant des conclusions excessives à partir de certaines réflexions théologiques“.
Ce débat, rappelle-t-il, a été très animé dans les médias, des livres ou encore même “entre
les ministres de l’Eglise“.
Décentralisation et cas par cas
“On ne devait pas attendre du synode ou de cette exhortation une nouvelle législation
générale du genre canonique, applicable à tous les cas“, prévient encore le pape avant de
souhaiter “un nouvel encouragement au discernement responsable personnel et pastoral des
cas particuliers“. Parce que “le degré de responsabilité n’est pas le même dans tous les cas“,
écrit le pape, “les conséquences ou les effets d’une norme ne doivent pas nécessairement
être toujours les mêmes“. C’est alors dans une note de bas de page que le pape François
devient plus précis, assurant que cela s’applique aussi à “la discipline sacramentelle, étant
donné que le discernement peut reconnaître que dans une situation particulière il n’y a pas
de faute grave“.
Dès l’ouverture de l’exhortation, le pape François précise que “tous les débats doctrinaux,
moraux ou pastoraux ne doivent pas être tranchés par des interventions magistérielles“. Il
souhaite “une unité de doctrine“ qui, cependant, “n’empêche pas que subsistent différentes
interprétations de certains aspects de la doctrine ou certaines conclusions qui en dérivent“.
Encourageant la décentralisation, le pape avance que “dans chaque pays ou région, peuvent
être cherchées des solutions plus inculturées, attentives aux traditions et aux défis locaux“.
Dès lors, c’est encore dans une note de bas de page que le pape se fait plus précis. Après
avoir souhaité dans le document que “l’aide de l’Eglise“ soit offerte à des personnes en
“situation objective de péché“, le pape François note que, “dans certains cas, il peut s’agir
aussi de l’aide des sacrements“.
Homosexualité et éducation
Concernant l’attitude de l’Eglise vis-à-vis des homosexuels, le document pontifical est plus
que prudent en réaffirmant simplement qu’ils doivent être accueillis “avec respect“ et sans
“discrimination“, mettant surtout l’accent sur la difficulté, pour les familles, “d’avoir en
leur sein des personnes manifestant une tendance homosexuelle“. Sans surprise, le pape
assure – en citant le synode – qu’il ne peut y avoir “des analogies, même lointaines, entre
les unions homosexuelles et le dessein de Dieu sur le mariage et la famille“.
Au-delà de ces thèmes controversés, Amoris Laetitia, est un document éminemment
pastoral qui approfondit la vocation de la famille chrétienne, offrant une part belle à
l’éducation des enfants. Dans deux chapitres sur “l’amour dans le mariage“, le pape
François prend des allures de conseiller conjugal et prodigue des conseils sages et concrets
aux époux chrétiens.
Un long passage encourage fortement l’éducation sexuelle des enfants, vue comme un
“défi“, tout en souhaitant que celle-ci “préserve une saine pudeur“, mettant en garde aussi
contre l’invitation “à ‘se protéger’, en cherchant du ‘sexe sûr’“ qui transmet “une attitude
négative quant à la finalité procréatrice naturelle de la sexualité, comme si un éventuel
enfant était un ennemi dont il faut se protéger“.

L’exhortation apostolique invite à approfondir la préparation au mariage et à accompagner
les jeunes époux autant que ceux qui vivent un échec matrimonial. Les mariages civils et
les cohabitations, par ailleurs, sont regardés avec plus de bienveillance, en particulier ceux
qui ont atteint “une stabilité visible à travers un lien public“.
Au fil du document, le pape François cite les catéchèses sur la théologie du corps de Jean-
Paul II ou encore, largement, saint Thomas d’Aquin, sainte Thérèse de Lisieuxet même
Martin Luther King. De façon plus inattendue, le pape évoque le film Le Festin de
Babette pour expliquer le concept de gratuité. A n’en point douter, l’Exhortation
apostolique post-synodale Amoris Laetitia sera largement commentée dans les médias
comme au sein de l’Eglise, et jaugée de manière différente selon les lecteurs. Mais dès le
début, le pape François met en garde devant le risque d’une “lecture générale hâtive“ de ce
document. (cath.ch-apic/imedia/ami/bh)
L’Exhortation apostolique ‘Amoris Laetitia’, de A à Z
10.04.2016 par I.MEDIA
Fruit de deux synodes sur la famille et d’une consultation mondiale inédite, la très attendue
Exhortation apostolique du pape François sur la famille, Amoris Laetitia, est parue ce 8
avril 2016. Le pape opte pour un langage simple et concret, pour s’adresser aux fidèles du
monde entier.
Au fil des pages, il propose ses propres réflexions sur les bouleversements de notre époque,
évoquant les nouvelles technologies ou la culture du provisoire. Voici des extraits
significatifs de A à Z, d’Adoption à Zachée.
Adoption: Il est important d’insister pour que la législation puisse faciliter les procédures
d’adoption, surtout dans les cas d’enfants non désirés, en vue de prévenir l’avortement ou
l’abandon. (179)
Autocritique: Nous devons (…) reconnaître que, parfois, notre manière de présenter les
convictions chrétiennes, et la manière de traiter les personnes ont contribué à provoquer ce
dont nous nous plaignons aujourd’hui. (…) Il nous faut une salutaire réaction
d’autocritique. (36)
Avortement: Si la famille est le sanctuaire de la vie, le lieu où la vie est engendrée et
protégée, le fait qu’elle devient le lieu où la vie est niée et détruite constitue une
contradiction déchirante. (83)
Blessures: Le divorce est un mal (…). Notre tache pastorale la plus importante envers les
familles est (…) de renforcer l’amour et d’aider à guérir les blessures, en sorte que nous
puissions prévenir la progression de ce drame de notre époque. (246)
Cas particuliers: On peut comprendre qu’on ne devait pas attendre du Synode ou de cette
Exhortation une nouvelle législation générale du genre canonique, applicable à tous les cas.
Il faut seulement un nouvel encouragement au discernement responsable personnel et
pastoral des cas particuliers. (300)
Contraception: L’Encyclique Humanae vitae et l’Exhortation apostolique Familiaris
consortio doivent être redécouvertes (…). Le recours aux méthodes fondées sur les rythmes
naturels de la fécondité devra être encouragé. (222)

Crises: Une crise surmontée ne conduit pas à une relation de moindre intensité mais
conduit à améliorer, affermir et mûrir le vin de l’union. (263)
Divorcés: Un discernement particulier est indispensable pour accompagner les personnes
séparées, divorcées ou abandonnées. (…) La communauté locale et les pasteurs doivent
accompagner ces personnes avec sollicitude. (242)
Divorcés remariés: Il est important de faire en sorte que les personnes divorcées engagées
dans une nouvelle union sentent qu’elles font partie de l’Eglise, qu’elles ne sont pas
excommuniées. (243)
Discernement pastoral: Les divorcés engagés dans une nouvelle union (…) peuvent se
retrouver dans des situations très différentes, qui ne doivent pas être cataloguées (…) dans
des affirmations trop rigides sans laisser de place à un discernement personnel et pastoral
approprié. (298)
Droits de la famille: Nous devons insister sur les droits de la famille, et pas seulement sur
les droits individuels. (44)
Ecoute: Souvent, l’un des conjoints n’a pas besoin d’une solution à ses problèmes, mais il a
besoin d’être écouté. (137)
Education sexuelle: Il est difficile de penser l’éducation sexuelle, à une époque où la
sexualité tend à se banaliser (…). Elle ne peut être comprise que dans le cadre d’une
éducation à l’amour, au don de soi réciproque. (280)
Enfant unique: Dans certains pays, il existe une forte tendance à avoir un seul enfant, ce
qui fait que l’expérience d’avoir un frère commence à être peu commune. (195)
Exceptions: Il faut garantir les conditions nécessaires d’humilité, de discrétion (…) Ces
attitudes sont fondamentales pour éviter le grave risque de messages erronés, comme l’idée
qu’un prêtre peut concéder rapidement des ‘exceptions’, ou qu’il existe des personnes qui
peuvent obtenir des privilèges sacramentaux en échange de faveur. (300)
Foi: La famille est le lieu où les parents deviennent les premiers maîtres de la foi pour leurs
enfants. (16)
For interne: Le colloque avec le prêtre, dans le for interne, concourt à la formation d’un
jugement correct sur ce qui entrave la possibilité d’une participation plus entière à la vie de
l’Eglise. (300)
Formation sacerdotale: La présence des laïcs et des familles, en particulier la présence
féminine, dans la formation sacerdotale, permet de mieux apprécier la diversité et la
complémentarité des diverses vocations dans l’Eglise. (203)
Gender: Il est inquiétant que certaines idéologies de ce type, qui prétendent répondre à des
aspirations parfois compréhensibles, veulent s’imposer comme une pensée unique qui
détermine même l’éducation des enfants. (56)
Gradualité: Saint Jean-Paul II proposait ce qu’on appelle la loi de la gradualité. (…) Ce
n’est pas une gradualité de la loi mais une gradualité dans l’accomplissement prudent des
actes libres de la part de sujets qui ne sont dans des conditions ni de comprendre (…) ni
d’observer pleinement les exigences objectives de la loi. (295)
Homosexuels: Chaque personne, indépendamment de sa tendance sexuelle, doit être
respectée dans sa dignité et accueillie avec respect (…). Il n’y a aucun fondement pour
assimiler ou établir des analogies (…) entre les unions homosexuelles et le dessein de Dieu
sur le mariage et la famille.(251)
Intégration: La logique de l’intégration est la clef de leur accompagnement pastoral (des
divorcés remariés, ndlr). Il convient donc de discerner quelles sont, parmi les diverses

formes d’exclusion actuellement pratiquées dans les domaines liturgiques, pastoral,
éducatif et institutionnel, celles qui peuvent être dépassées. (299)
Liberté: Au fond, il est facile aujourd’hui de confondre la liberté authentique avec l’idée
selon laquelle chacun juge comme bon lui semble ; comme si, au-delà des individus, il n’y
avait pas de vérité, de valeurs ni de principes qui nous orientent. (34)
Mariage: Aussi bien la préparation immédiate que l’accompagnement prolongé doivent
assurer que les fiancés (…) assument le mariage comme une vocation qui les lance vers
l’avant, avec la décision ferme et réaliste de traverser ensemble toutes les épreuves et les
moments difficiles. (211)
Mariage mixte: Les mariages avec disparité de culte constituent un lieu privilégié de
dialogue interreligieux (…) Dans certains pays (…) le conjoint chrétien est obligé de
changer de religion pour pouvoir se marier (…). Nous devons donc réaffirmer la nécessité
que la liberté religieuse soit respectée. (248)
Maternité: L’affaiblissement de la présence maternelle avec ses qualités féminines est un
risque grave pour notre monde. (173)
Mode: En tant que chrétiens nous ne pouvons pas renoncer à proposer le mariage pour ne
pas contredire la sensibilité actuelle, pour être à la mode, ou par complexe d’infériorité
devant l’effondrement moral et humain. (35)
Narcissisme: Tout est jetable, chacun utilise et jette, paie et détruit, exploite et presse, tant
que cela sert. Ensuite adieu ! Le narcissisme rend les personnes incapables de regarder au-
delà d’elles-mêmes, de leurs désirs et de leurs besoins. (39)
Non croyant: L’amour est un don de Dieu, et là où il est répandu, il fait sentir sa force qui
transforme, de façon parfois mystérieuse au point où le mari non croyant se trouve sanctifié
par sa femme, et la femme non croyante se trouve sanctifiée par le mari croyant. (228)
Otages : Je supplie les parents séparés : Il ne faut jamais, jamais, jamais prendre un enfant
comme otage ! (…) Que (les enfants) grandissent en entendant leur maman dire du bien de
leur papa, bien qu’ils ne soient pas ensemble, et que leur papa parle bien de leur maman.
(245)
Patience: En ce temps où règnent l’anxiété et la vitesse technologique, une tâche très
importante des familles est d’éduquer à la patience. (…) Lorsque les enfants ne sont pas
éduqués à accepter que certaines choses doivent attendre, ils deviennent des gens
impatients qui soumettent tout à la satisfaction de leurs besoins immédiats (…). (275)
Péché mortel: L’Eglise a une solide réflexion sur les conditionnements et les circonstances
atténuantes. (…) Il n’est plus possible de dire que tous ceux qui se trouvent dans une
certaine situation dite ‘irrégulière’ vivent dans une situation de péché mortel. (301)
Perfection: Il ne faut pas faire peser sur deux personnes ayant leurs limites la terrible
charge d’avoir à reproduire de manière parfaite l’union qui existe entre le Christ et son
Eglise. (122)
Prêtres mariés: Il manque souvent aux ministres ordonnés la formation adéquate pour
traiter les problèmes complexes actuels de la famille. De même l’expérience de la vaste
tradition orientale des prêtres mariés pourrait être utile. (202)
Promesse: Nous ne pouvons pas nous promettre d’avoir les mêmes sentiments durant toute
la vie. En revanche, oui, nous pouvons avoir un projet stable, nous engager à nous aimer et
à rester unis jusqu’à ce que la mort nous sépare. (163)
Rigidité: Je comprends ceux qui préfèrent une pastorale plus rigide qui ne prête à aucune
confusion. Mais je crois sincèrement que Jésus Christ veut une Eglise attentive au bien que
l’Esprit répand au milieu de la fragilité. (308)

Routine: Il faut aussi inciter les jeunes couples à créer leur propre routine, qui offre une
saine sensation de stabilité (…) C’est bon de se donner toujours un baiser le matin, se bénir
toutes les nuits (…) Mais en même temps, il est bon d’interrompre la routine par la fête.
(226)
Rupture: Il y a des cas où la séparation est inévitable. Parfois, elle peut devenir
moralement nécessaire (…). Mais on ne peut l’envisager que comme un remède extrême
après que l’on a vainement tenté tout ce qui était raisonnablement possible pour l’éviter.
(241)
Sacrement: Le sacrement de mariage n’est pas une convention sociale, un rite vide ni le
simple signe extérieur d’un engagement. Le sacrement est un don pour la sanctification et
le salut des époux. (72)
Saint-Valentin: Il ne faut pas non plus oublier les précieuses ressources de la pastorale
populaire. Pour prendre un exemple simple, je me rappelle le jour de la saint Valentin qui,
dans certains pays, profite plus aux commerçants qu’à la créativité des pasteurs. (208)
Sobriété: Chers fiancés : ayez le courage d’être différents, ne vous laissez pas dévier par la
société de consommation et de l’apparence (…). Vous êtes capables d’opter pour une fête
sobre et simple, pour placer l’amour au-dessus de tout. (212)
Technologies: Les technologies de communication (…) parfois (…) éloignent au lieu de
rapprocher, comme lorsqu’à l’heure du repas chacun est rivé à son téléphone cellulaire.
(278)
Virginité: Au lieu de parler de la supériorité de la virginité sous tous ses aspects, il serait
plutôt opportun de montrer que les différents états de vie se complètent, de telle manière
que l’un peut être plus parfait en un sens, et que l’autre peut l’être d’un autre point de vue.
(159)
Virilité: Le masculin et le féminin ne sont pas quelque-chose de rigide. (…) S’occuper de
certains travaux de maison ou de certains aspects des soins aux enfants ne le rend pas moins
masculin (l’époux) ni ne signifie un échec, une capitulation ou une honte. (286)
Zachée: Il (Jésus) rencontre des publicains comme Matthieu ou Zachée dans leurs propres
maisons, ainsi que des pécheresses (…). Il connaît les angoisses et les tensions des familles
qu’il introduit dans ses paraboles. (21) (Cath.ch-apic/imedia/ak/bl/bh)
Anthony Faiola: Pope Francis talks about love — and sex
The Washington Post, April 8 at 1:23 PM
It is, perhaps, a strange lesson from a pope: Even the erotic can be divine.
That is one take-away from the landmark document by Pope Francis on family life, a work
that translates in English as "The Joy of Love." Married couples, the pope says, should not
fear “a healthy sexual desire.” In fact, this pop-turned-marriage counselor suggests, why
not start your days with a morning kiss?
He goes on to offer other secrets to a happy, healthy home in a document praised by some
but derisively dubbed “The Joy of Sex” in at least one conservative blog.
“In no way, then, can we consider the erotic dimension of love simply as a permissible evil
or a burden to be tolerated for the good of the family,” the often-surprising pontiff writes.
“Rather, it must be seen as gift from God that enriches the relationship of the spouses.”

He gives a blunt “no” to gay marriage, and warns his flock not to forget the “differences
between sexes.”
Yet while men may be men, and women may be women, there are little tricks to cohabiting
peacefully as husband and wife. Spouses should consider waiting “at the door” when the
other returns home. Both husband and wife should do housework.
But yes, he concedes, sometimes the spark does go out of a relationship. Yet, he teaches,
that doesn’t have to mean the end. What is left, he says, can be a deep-seated sense of
partnership and love that is no less valuable.
“There is no guarantee that we will feel the same way all through life,” the pope writes.
“Yet if a couple can come up with a shared and lasting life project, they can love one
another and live as one until death do them part, enjoying an enriching intimacy."
He goes off on “safe sex” as a poor excuse for sex before marriage, but never bluntly
denounces the use of artificial birth control. He encourages sexual education of children.
But he is still the pope, and says such teachings should be directed largely at the promotion
of modesty.
“It is always irresponsible to invite adolescents to toy with their bodies and their desires, as
if they possessed the maturity, values, mutual commitment and goals proper to marriage,”
he writes. “They end up being blithely encouraged to use other persons as a means of
fulfilling their needs or limitations.”
Anthony Faiola is The Post's Berlin bureau chief. Faiola joined the Post in 1994, since then
reporting for the paper from six continents and serving as bureau chief in Tokyo, Buenos
Aires, New York and London.
James Martin, S.J.: Top Ten Takeaways from “Amoris Laetitia”
SYNOD ON THE FAMILY
America, Apr 8 2016 - 6:00am |
Pope Francis’s groundbreaking new document “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”) asks
the church to meet people where they are, to consider the complexities of people’s lives and
to respect people’s consciences when it comes to moral decisions. The apostolic
exhortation is mainly a document that reflects on family life and encourages families. But it
is also the pope’s reminder that the church should avoid simply judging people and
imposing rules on them without considering their struggles.
Using insights from the Synod of Bishops on the Family and from bishops’ conferences
from around the world, Pope Francis affirms church teaching on family life and marriage,
but strongly emphasizes the role of personal conscience and pastoral discernment. He urges
the church to appreciate the context of people’s lives when helping them make good
decisions. The goal is to help families—in fact, everyone—experience God’s love and
know that they are welcome members of the church. All this may require what the pope
calls “new pastoral methods” (199).
Here are ten things to know about the pope’s groundbreaking new document.
1. The church needs to understand families and individuals in all their complexity. The
church needs to meet people where they are. So pastors are to “avoid judgements which do
not take into account the complexity of various situations” (296). People should not be

“pigeonholed or fit into overly rigid classifications leaving no room for personal and
pastoral discernment” (298). In other words, one size does not fit all. People are encouraged
to live by the Gospel, but should also be welcomed into a church that appreciates their
particular struggles and treats them with mercy. “Thinking that everything is black and
white” is to be avoided (305). And the church cannot apply moral laws as if they were
“stones to throw at people’s lives” (305). Overall, he calls for an approach of
understanding, compassion and accompaniment.
2. The role of conscience is paramount in moral decision making. “Individual conscience
needs to be better incorporated into the church’s practice in certain situations which do not
objectively embody our understanding of marriage” (303). That is, the traditional belief that
individual conscience is the final arbiter of the moral life has been forgotten here. The
church has been “called to form consciences, not to replace them” (37). Yes, it is true, the
Pope says, that a conscience needs to be formed by church teaching. But conscience does
more than to judge what does or does not agree with church teaching. Conscience can also
recognize with “a certain moral security” what God is asking (303). Pastors, therefore, need
to help people not simply follow rules, but to practice “discernment,” a word that implies
prayerful decision making (304).
3. Divorced and remarried Catholics need to be more fully integrated into the church.
How? By looking at the specifics of their situation, by remembering “mitigating factors,”
by counseling them in the “internal forum,” (that is, in private conversations between the
priest and person or couple), and by respecting that the final decision about the degree of
participation in the church is left to a person’s conscience (305, 300). (The reception of
Communion is not spelled out here, but that is a traditional aspect of “participation” in
church life.) Divorced and remarried couples should be made to feel part of the church.
“They are not excommunicated and should not be treated as such, since they remain part”
of the church (243).
4. All members of the family need to be encouraged to live good Christian lives. Much of
“Amoris Laetitia” consists of reflections on the Gospels and church teaching on love, the
family and children. But it also includes a great deal of practical advice from the pope,
sometimes gleaned from exhortations and homilies regarding the family. Pope Francis
reminds married couples that a good marriage is a “dynamic process” and that each side has
to put up with imperfections. “Love does not have to be perfect for us to value it” (122,
113). The pope, speaking as a pastor, encourages not only married couples, but also
engaged couples, expectant mothers, adoptive parents, widows, as well as aunts, uncles and
grandparents. He is especially attentive that no one feels unimportant or excluded from
God’s love.
5. We should no longer talk about people “living in sin.” In a sentence that reflects a new
approach, the pope says clearly, “It can no longer simply be said that all those living in any
‘irregular situation’ are living in a state of mortal sin” (301). Other people in “irregular
situations,” or non-traditional families, like single mothers, need to be offered
“understanding, comfort and acceptance” (49). When it comes to these people, indeed
everyone, the church need to stop applying moral laws, as if they were, in the pope’s vivid
phrase, “stones to throw at a person’s life” (305).
6. What might work in one place may not work in another. The pope is not only speaking
in terms of individuals, but geographically as well. “Each country or region…can seek
solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs” (3). What
makes sense pastorally in one country may even seem out of place in another. For this

reason and others, as the pope says at the beginning of the document that for this reason,
not every question can be settled by the magisterium, that is, the church’s teaching office
(3).
7. Traditional teachings on marriage are affirmed, but the church should not burden
people with unrealistic expectations. Marriage is between one man and one woman and is
indissoluble; and same-sex marriage is not considered marriage. The church continues to
hold out an invitation to healthy marriages. At the same time, the church has often foisted
upon people an “artificial theological ideal of marriage” removed from people’s everyday
lives (36). At times these ideals have been a “tremendous burden” (122). To that end,
seminarians and priests need to be better trained to understand the complexities of people’s
married lives. “Ordained ministers often lack the training needed to deal with the complex
problems currently facing families” (202).
8. Children must be educated in sex and sexuality. In a culture that often commodifies and
cheapens sexual expression, children need to understand sex within the “broader framework
of an education for love and mutual self-giving” (280). Sadly, the body is often seen as
simply “an object to be used” (153). Sex always has to be understood as being open to the
gift of new life.
9. Gay men and women should be respected. While same-sex marriage is not permitted,
the pope says that he wants to reaffirm “before all else” that the homosexual person needs
to be “respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, and ‘every sign of
unjust discrimination’ is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression or
violence.” Families with LGBT members need “respectful pastoral guidance” from the
church and its pastors so that gays and lesbians can fully carry out God’s will in their lives
(250).
10. All are welcome. The church must help families of every sort, and people in every state
of life, know that, even in their imperfections, they are loved by God and can help others
experience that love. Likewise, pastors must work to make people feel welcome in the
church. “Amoris Laetitia” offers the vision of a pastoral and merciful church that
encourages people to experience the “joy of love.” The family is an absolutely essential
part of the church, because after all, the church is a “family of families” (80).
Take a deeper look at “Amoris Laetitia.”
James Martin, S.J., is editor at large at America.
Megan K. McCabe: Francis, Family and Feminism
Changing the conversation around complementarity
SYN O D O N THE FAMILY
America, Apr 8 2016 - 6:00am |
For many people, the Catholic perspective on marriage and family life is a fraught subject.
Official statements and, to varying degrees, the work of professional theologians and
popular thinkers can seem to fall short of the complex, lived realities and diversity of
familial circumstances in the lives of members of the Body of Christ. Too often, we are

presented with an idealized depiction of “the Christian family”: the pious nuclear family
modeled on the Holy Family.
It is well known that, in this model, those who are divorced, especially if remarried, are left
out. However, the ramifications go even further: Limiting the view of the family to this
single image means we are left without any meaningful recognition of the familial
commitments of single adults. Also missed are the importance of relationships with and
responsibilities to our parents, potential siblings and extended families, including in-laws.
For many Catholics, especially women, the corollary discussions of gender become
particularly painful.
With “Amoris Laetitia,” Pope Francis offers a refreshing departure from this oft-repeated
model. While not the bulk of the document, he offers a radical shift in tone regarding
gender and feminism. Catholic teaching on gender upholds gender complementarity, which
maintains that men and women have distinct roles, even characteristics, grounded in their
biological sex. For example, St. John Paul II’s “Mulieris Dignitatem” framed femininity as
linked to motherhood, which is necessarily compassionate and nurturing, regardless of
whether or not an individual woman is actually a mother. One consequence has been that
mainstream feminism has often been viewed as suspect in Catholic circles because it seeks
to modify gendered roles in families and is seen at the popular level to be synonymous with
sexual liberation. While Pope Francis does not reject complementarity, he begins to move
this conversation in a new direction.
Francis clearly states the important contribution of feminism to the world and church. He
sharply condemns any view that would blame “women’s emancipation” for the many ways
in which women’s bodies are reduced to objects, including surrogacy and
commercialization and sexualization in the media. For example, while a variety of voices,
both secular and religious, see these kinds of phenomena as instances of cultural change,
even decline, due to increased choices and sexual freedom available to women. However,
the pope maintains these attitudes are the result of male chauvinism. The commodification
of the female body, then, is the result of sexism. In his reaffirmation of the church’s stance
against all forms of abuse against women, he writes, “we must…see in the women’s
movement the working of the Spirit for a clearer recognition of the dignity and rights of
women” (No. 54).
Further, he seems to practically take the teeth out of the content of complementarity. Some
forms of secular feminism see gender roles as socially constructed and distinct from
biological sex. Francis rejects this view, maintaining the perspective that biological sex and
gender are not the same, but are deeply related. Still, when he discusses masculinity and
femininity, he is critical of gender stereotypes that would limit people’s way of being in the
world. He explains that “masculinity and femininity are not rigid categories” (No. 286).
Women have the capacity for leadership, and men have to take on tasks in the family in
order to “accommodate the wife’s work schedule.” Here he seems to breaking down any
gender roles that place women in the home and men in the world that gender
complementarity would seem to support.
These small tonal shifts offer a subtle development in the way the church relates to
feminism. Pope Francis notes his appreciation of feminism and, in a key development,
identifies it as the work of the Holy Spirit. In so doing, he offers hope and belonging to
many women who feel pain about belonging in the church, or who may have one foot out
the door.
Take a deeper look at “Amoris Laetitia.”

Megan K. MCabe is a doctoral candidate in theological ethics at Boston College. Her
dissertation is on "Sex, Power, and Violence on the College Campus: Rape Culture and
Complicity in Evil."
“Acompañar, discernir e integrar”, claves de “Amoris Laetitia”, exhortación
postsinodal
El Papa pide a los obispos que abran las puertas de la comunión, caso por caso, a los
divorciados vueltos a casar
“No todas las discusiones doctrinales o morales deben ser resueltas con intervenciones
magisteriales”
Jesús Bastante, 08 de abril de 2016
(Jesús Bastante).- "Acompañar, discernir e integrar". Estas tres palabras son las claves
de bóveda de "Amoris Laetitia", la esperada exhortación apostólica del Papa Francisco
tras las dos asambleas del Sínodo de la Familia y que puede leer aquí. Un texto abierto a
las interpretaciones, que muestra el"estilo Francisco" y ese "precioso poliedro" que
supone la Iglesia, y en el que se da un mayor énfasis en la misericordia y en la persona,
frente a la rigidez de la doctrina.
Y es que, sin cambiar una coma de la misma, el Papa deja las manos libres a los obispos
para que permitan la comunión, caso por caso, de los divorciados vueltos a casar;
admite las bondades de otras realidades distintas al matrimonio canónico; y plantea una
línea de actuación, una advertencia a los rigoristas: "No todas las discusiones doctrinales,
morales o pastorales deben ser resueltas con intervenciones magisteriales".
"El camino de la Iglesia es el de no condenar a nadie para siempre", clama el Papa,
quien pide "evitar los juicios que no toman en cuenta la complejidad de las diversas
situaciones" porque "se trata de integrar a todos". Para Francisco, los divorciados vueltos a
casar "pueden encontrarse en situaciones muy diferentes, que no han de ser catalogadas o
encerradas en afirmaciones demasiado rígidas".
"No existen recetas sencillas", reconoce el Papa, quien se niega a "una nueva normativa
general de tipo canónica, aplicable a todos los casos", sino "un responsable discernimiento
personal y pastoral de los casos particulares" que, atendiendo a la "ley de gradualidad", se
aplique "la lógica de la misericordia pastoral".
Así, recuerda que "no están excomulgados", y que "pueden ser reintegrados en la
comunidad cristiana en las diversas formas posibles", evitando el escándalo pero
caminando hacia "discernir cuáles de las diversas formas de exclusión actualmente
practicadas en el ámbito litúrgico, pastoral, educativo e institucional pueden ser superadas".
Y es que "la misericordia es la viga maestra que sostiene la vida de la Iglesia", argumenta el
Papa, quien critica a los que "nos comportamos como controladores de la gracia y no
como facilitadores". Porque "la Iglesia no es una aduana, es la casa paterna donde hay
lugar para cada uno con su vida a cuestas".
"Amoris Laetitia" es un texto preciso pero con muchas puertas abiertas, que a lo largo de
sus 300 páginas, divididas en nueve capítulos y 325 párrafos (además de la oración
conclusiva a la Sagrada Familia) se encuentra trufado de citas sinodales y de anteriores

Papas, pero también de escritores e intelectuales como Eric Fromm, Martin Luther King,
Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz o Mario Benedetti, de quien copia su fantástico "Si te
quiero es porque sos/mi amor, mi cómplice y todo/y en la calle, codo a codo/somos mucho
más que dos" para hablar del amor conyugal. Ignacio de Loyola, San Pablo o Santo
Tomás son otros de los ejes "literarios" del texto, que también cuenta con una referencia
fílmica: "El festín de Babette".
Muchos se sentirán defraudados, a un lado y otro del "precioso poliedro" de opiniones
planteadas en las dos asambleas del Sínodo, y en la propia Iglesia. Pero lo cierto es que,
aunque la doctrina formalmente no cambia, sí lo hacen, y mucho, las prácticas pastorales.
Empezando por la premisa de trabajo de "Amores Laetitia": "Quiero reafirmar que no todas
las discusiones doctrinales, morales o pastorales deben ser resueltas con intervenciones
magisteriales". Esto es, como repite el Papa en varias ocasiones: la doctrina no lo es todo.
"En la Iglesia es necesaria una unidad de doctrina y de praxis, pero ello no impide que
subsistan diferentes maneras de interpretar algunos aspectos de la doctrina o algunas
consecuencias que se derivan de ella". Y es que "en cada país o región se deben buscar
soluciones más inculturadas, atentas a las tradiciones y a los desafíos locales".
En el primer capítulo, "A la luz de la palabra", Francisco repasa algunas de las
referencias bíblicas de la familias, que culmina recordando la "emblemática escena que
muestra a una adúltera en la explanada del templo de Jerusalén, rodeada de sus acusadores,
y luego sola con Jesús que no la condena y la invita a una vida más digna". En el capítulo
segundo, "Realidad y desafíos de las familias", el Papa aborda la actualidad de las
distintas realidades familiares. Con un fuerte tono de autocrítica a esa Iglesia del "no" que
lamentablemente se había implantado en las últimas décadas.
Así, aunque subraya que "los cristianos no podemos renunciar a proponer el matrimonio
con el fin de no contradecir la sensibilidad actual, para estar a la moda, o por sentimientos
de inferioridad frente al descalabro moral y humano", el Papa indica que "no tiene sentido
quedarnos en una denuncia retórica de los males actuales, como si con eso pudiéramos
cambiar algo. Tampoco sirve pretender imponer normas por la fuerza de la autoridad".
"Al mismo tiempo -añade- tenemos que ser humildes y realistas, para reconocer que a
veces nuestro modo de presentar las convicciones cristianas, y la forma de tratar a las
personas, han ayudado a provocar lo que hoy lamentamos, por lo cual nos corresponde una
saludable reacción de autocrítica (...). Con frecuencia presentamos el matrimonio de tal
manera que su fin unitivo, el llamado a crecer en el amor y el ideal de ayuda mutua, quedó
opacado por un acento casi excluyente en el deber de la procreación. Tampoco hemos
hecho un buen acompañamiento de los nuevos matrimonios en sus primeros años, con
propuestas que se adapten a sus horarios, a sus lenguajes, a sus inquietudes más concretas.
Otras veces, hemos presentado un ideal teológico del matrimonio demasiado abstracto,
casi artificiosamente construido, lejano de la situación concreta y de las posibilidades
efectivas de las familias reales".
"Esta idealización excesiva, sobre todo cuando no hemos despertado la confianza en la
gracia, no ha hecho que el matrimonio sea más deseable y atractivo, sino todo lo contrario",
denuncia el Papa, quien añade que "durante mucho tiempo creímos que consólo insistir en
cuestiones doctrinales, bioéticas y morales (...) ya sosteníamos suficientemente a las
familias, consolidábamos el vínculo de los esposos y llenábamos de sentido sus vidas
compartidas".
Prosigue la autocrítica: "Muchas veces hemos actuado a la defensiva, y gastamos las
energías pastorales redoblando el ataque al mundo decadente, con poca capacidad

proactiva para mostrar caminos de felicidad. Muchos no sienten que el mensaje de la
Iglesia sobre el matrimonio y la familia haya sido un claro reflejo de la predicación y de las
actitudes de Jesús que, al mismo tiempo que proponía un ideal exigente, nunca perdía la
cercanía compasiva con los frágiles, como la samaritana o la mujer adúltera".
El documento también es una defensa sin matices de la vida humana, recordando que "la
Iglesia rechaza con todas sus fuerzas las intervenciones coercitivas del Estado en favor de
la anticoncepción, la esterilización e incluso del aborto", aunque admite que "la conciencia
recta de los esposos (...) puede orientarlos a la decisión de limitar el número de hijos por
motivos suficientemente serios". Un llamamiento de la paternidad responsable que se
repite en varias ocasiones a lo largo del Amoris Laetitia.
Entre los desafíos, el documento apunta, sin detenerse demasiado en ello, en algunos
desafíos, desde el fenómeno migratorio a la diferencia de sexos ("ideología del
gender"); desde la cultura de lo provisorio a la mentalidad antinatalista y al impacto de la
biotecnología en el campo de la procreación; de la falta de casa y de trabajo a la
pornografía y el abuso de menores; de la atención a las personas con discapacidad, al
respeto de los ancianos; de la deconstrucción jurídica de la familia o la violencia contra las
mujeres. "El abuso sexual de los niños se torna todavía más escandaloso cuando ocurre en
los lugares donde deben ser protegidos, particularmente en las familias y en las escuelas y
en las comunidades e instituciones cristianas", apunta el Papa.
En cuanto a las uniones no matrimoniales, el Papa reconoce que "ya no se advierte con
claridad que sólo la unión exclusiva e indisoluble entre un varón y una mujer cumple una
función social plena", y aunque reconoce que "no pueden equipararse sin más al
matrimonio", sí apunta que "debemos reconocer la gran variedad de situaciones
familiares que pueden brindar cierta estabilidad", también "las uniones de hecho o
entre personas del mismo sexo".
En el capítulo tercero "La mirada puesta en Jesús: vocación de la familia", Bergoglio
comienza a plantear el núcleo de la instrucción: las "situaciones difíciles y familias
heridas", y la responsabilidad de los pastores de "discernir bien las situaciones" porque "el
grado de responsabilidad no es igual en todos los casos, y puede haber factores que
limitan la capacidad de decisión".
Volviendo la mirada a las interpretaciones de la doctrina y de papas anteriores, Francisco
retoma su defensa del "valor de la vida humana", insistiendo en que "de ningún modo se
puede plantear como un derecho sobre el propio cuerpo la posibilidad de tomar decisiones
con respecto a esa vida, que es un fin en sí misma y que nunca puede ser un objeto de
dominio de otro ser humano". Por ello, reclama "la obligación moral de laobjeción de
conciencia" y, sobre el fin de la vida, reclama "la urgencia de afirmar el derecho a la
muerte natural, evitando el ensañamiento terapéutico y la eutanasia" y rechazando "con
firmeza la pena de muerte".
En el capítulo cuarto, "El amor en el matrimonio", Francisco repasa la famosa carta de
San Pablo a los Corintios, repasando el amor servicial, compasivo, que no ofende, que es
paciente, amable, que confía, espera y disculpa todo, y se detiene en la vida sexual del
matrimonio, defendiendo "el sano erotismo" y la "dimensión erótica del amor".
El capítulo quinto, "Amor que se vuelve fecundo", reclama la paternidad responsable,
que "no es procreación ilimitada", y el feminismo "cuando no pretende la uniformidad ni la
negación de la maternidad". Al tiempo, defiende que "el matrimonio no ha sido instituido
solamente para la procreación" y admira a los que optan por la adopción y la acogida de
niños, "no sólo en los casos de esposos con problemas de fertilidad".

N20160406 al 11 iglesia internacional

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N20160406 al 11 iglesia internacional