THE
P RTAL
May 2016
Page 17
The Joy of Love
Our Ordinary, The Rt Revd Mgr Keith Newton
has some thoughts on Amoris Laetitia
M
any words have already been written about Pope Francis’ Apostolic
Exhortation Amoris Laetitia or ‘the Joy of Love’ published last month. This
document is the Holy Father’s considered response following the two Synods on
the Family which took place in 2014 and 2015. It is a long and wide ranging
document which bears patient careful reading.
The Pope himself emphasises this
in the first chapter where he notes
the timeliness of its publication in
the Year of Mercy as it is both an
opportunity to reflect on the gift of
marriage and family life as well as
an invitation to all to be merciful
towards those whose family life,
for whatever reasons, falls short of
Catholic teaching.
Inevitably, the media have
focused on the controversial issue
of Communion for those who are
in second civil marriages when the
partner of the first marriage is still
alive. Sometimes such reports and
articles have expressed contradictory
views which can be confusing for the faithful who look
for clarity about what the Church is teaching.
out that Pope Francis is building
on the teaching by the family of
St John Paul II. This is what we
should expect, as Papal documents
cannot contradict each other.
Pope Francis speaks movingly
about the positive virtues of
marriage and family life according
to the teaching of the Church.
Only in later chapters does he
address the complex issues of
family breakdown and how to
be with people living in irregular
relationships as far as the Church
is concerned.
He encourages priests to be
understanding and empathetic in dealing with such
difficult situations. The Holy Father wants the Church
to follow the pattern of the Good Shepherd, to love
On the return from his recent trip visiting refugees and care for the sheep even when they go astray and
in Lesbos, Pope Francis gave an impromptu press never to cast anyone aside. It is the pastoral work of
conference during which he was asked about this the priest to accompany people in their difficulties, to
question and whether the practice of the Church had walk with them in the way of faith even when they,
changed. His response was illuminating. He noted because of the nature of their lives, are excluded
that the question of communion and divorce was from the sacraments, and to help them understand
paramount in the media’s response to the Synods the teachings of the Church and how they, in their
and the Apostolic Exhortation but this was a minor particular situation, can grow in the faith.
concern of the Fathers who met in Rome.
Father James Bradley, a priest of the Ordinariate of
They were more concerned, he said, with the crisis of Our Lady of Walsingham presently studying Canon
family life throughout the world: the falling birth rate Law in Washington, in an excellent article for the
in Europe, the fact that many couples do not marry, website of the Catholic Herald on 12th April, makes the
the lack of work for young people, the difficulties of point that this is nothing new and is in fact building
raising children in one parent families. These and on the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI in his own
many others matters, he said, are the major problems Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist Sacramentum
Caritas in 2007.
for family life in our world which need to be tackled.
So my advice is to read the Apostolic Exhortation
It is clear from reading the exhortation that
the teaching of the Church has not changed. for yourself and don’t believe everything you read
Cardinal Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, who in the papers, even if they are part of the Catholic
presented the exhortation in Rome, was careful to point press.
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