Inside Pope Francis’ Statement on the Family
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN APRIL 8, 2016
In
Pope Francis’ long-awaited apostolic exhortation — “Amoris Laetitia,”
or “The Joy of Love” — he urges church leaders to serve as nurturing
pastors, not as rigid enforcers of doctrine. Related Article
In
Pope Francis’ long-awaited apostolic exhortation — “Amoris Laetitia,”
or “The Joy of Love” — he urges church leaders to serve as nurturing
pastors, not as rigid enforcers of doctrine. Related Article
Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press
Paragraph 79
An Appeal for Greater Empathy
“When
faced with difficult situations and wounded families, it is always
necessary to recall this general principle: ‘Pastors must know that, for
the sake of truth, they are obliged to exercise careful discernment of
situations’ (Familiaris Consortio, 84). …. while clearly stating the Church’s teaching, pastors are to avoid judgements that do not take into account the complexity of various situations, and they are to be attentive, by necessity, to how people experience and endure distress because of their condition.”
Laurie Goodstein, National Religion Correspondent:
Pope
Francis is instructing priests to practice discernment rather than
judgment in dealing with the messy realities of people’s lives.
Discernment is a spiritual practice taught by the Jesuit religious order
to help guide a person through life, and Francis is the first Jesuit
pope.
Paragraph 202
Lessons From Married Clergy
“The
main contribution to the pastoral care of families is offered by the
parish, which is the family of families, where small communities,
ecclesial movements and associations live in harmony … ordained
ministers often lack the training needed to deal with the complex
problems currently facing families. The experience of the broad oriental tradition of a married clergy could also be drawn upon.
Francis
cites the value of “a married clergy” in the Eastern Catholic
(“oriental”) churches that permit priests to marry. This may raise some
eyebrows. Is he open to a married clergy for the Roman Catholic Church?
If so, he doesn’t say more.
Paragraph 203
Broader Training for Priests
“Seminarians
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 experiences. Some come from troubled
families, with absent parents and a lack of emotional stability. 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.”
The
selection and training of seminarians for the priesthood has frequently
come under scrutiny in recent decades. Here Francis is asking
seminaries that focus largely on doctrine (which is more common in the
developing world) to broaden their approach.
Paragraph 226
Encouraging Young Couples
“Young
married couples should be encouraged to develop a routine that gives a
healthy sense of closeness and stability through shared daily rituals.
These could include a morning kiss, an evening blessing, waiting at
the door to welcome each other home, taking trips together and sharing
household chores. Yet it also helps to break the routine with a
party, and to enjoy family celebrations of anniversaries and special
events. We need these moments of cherishing God’s gifts and renewing our
zest for life.”
Paragraph 237
Reviving Injured Marriages
“At
times, all it takes to decide that everything is over is a single
instance of dissatisfaction, the absence of the other when he or she was
most needed, wounded pride, or a vague fear. Inevitably, situations
will arise involving human weakness and these can prove emotionally
overwhelming. One spouse may not feel fully appreciated, or may be
attracted to another person. Jealousy and tensions may emerge, or new
interests that consume the other’s time and attention. Physical changes
naturally occur in everyone. These, and so many other things, rather than threatening love, are so many occasions for reviving and renewing it.”
Paragraph 250
Denounces Antigay Violence
“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,276
particularly any form of aggression and violence. Such families should
be given respectful pastoral guidance, so that those who manifest a
homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to
understand and fully carry out God’s will in their lives.”
The
phrase about avoiding “unjust discrimination” against gay people comes
straight from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but the instruction
to avoid “aggression and violence” is new.
Paragraph 251
Rejection of Same-Sex Marriage
“In
discussing the dignity and mission of the family, the Synod Fathers
observed that, ‘as for proposals to place unions between homosexual
persons on the same level as 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.’ It
is unacceptable ‘that local Churches should be subjected to pressure in
this matter and that international bodies should make financial aid to
poor countries dependent on the introduction of laws to establish
‘marriage’ between persons of the same sex.’”
This
text was taken from the final report of the bishops synod in 2015. Many
of the bishops at the synod were from developing countries, and they are
irate at foreign governments and aid organizations that insist on equal
treatment of gay people as a condition for financial aid.
Paragraph 252
On Single Parents
“Whatever
the cause, single parents must receive encouragement and support from
other families in the Christian community, and from the parish’s
pastoral outreach. Often these families endure other hardships, such as
economic difficulties, uncertain employment prospects, problems with
child support and lack of housing.”
Paragraph 283
Questioning ‘Safe Sex’ Message
“Frequently, sex education deals primarily with ‘protection’ through the practice of ‘safe sex.’
Such expressions convey a negative attitude towards the natural
procreative finality of sexuality, as if an eventual child were an enemy
to be protected against. This way of thinking promotes narcissism and
aggressivity in place of acceptance.”
Paragraph 300
New Route Back for Divorced Catholics
“If
we consider the immense variety of concrete situations such as those I
have mentioned, it is understandable that 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,’ 335 the consequences or effects of a rule need not necessarily always be the same.336
Priests have the duty to “accompany [the divorced and remarried] in
helping them to understand their situation according to the teaching of
the Church and the guidelines of the bishop. Useful in this process is
an examination of conscience through moments of reflection and
repentance. The divorced and remarried should ask themselves: 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….”
Paragraph 308
A More Attentive Church
“I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves 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.’”
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