I just bought a copy of AL a week ago. It's a very large encyclical with tons of content, so I'm curious if the Holy Father is hoping to get people to focus on a lot of the other ideas and not just the controversial part. People said Magnifica Humanitas was long, but the book I have of AL is noticeably thicker.
And FWIW, the "controversy" was silly from the get-go. Reduced culpability just means that their irregular state *in certain individual cases* can be venial and not mortal sin. People act like Pope Francis spoke out of both sides of his mouth, as if he suddenly decided these relationships are A-OK, when in reality it was just pointing out that it's possible that these couples not be in a state of mortal sin per se. It is about giving people the grace of the sacraments where possible so that they can actually live in chastity when they are not in a state of mortal sin. It's not about telling people that they don't have to change, or God accepts their relationship as-is. It's true this is a change in the discipline of the Church, but that's all it is. It's not a doctrinal change. A disciplinary change where the Pope felt it was better to err on the side of liberality of openness, even knowing that there may be cases of sacrilege where pastoral discernment isn't perfect.
I hope that the Holy Father gives the controversial aspect a very concise and clear remark and then goes on to focus on other issues around the family.
I think you're exactly right. Amoris Laetitia was always much more than just one footnote, and the controversy didn't seem to want to deal with the document on its own terms--terms that were orthodox.
Regarding the "admission to the sacraments" of a divorced and remarried couple, even in the responsa to Cardinal Duka's dubia, Cardinal Fernandez stated that Pope Francis "maintains the proposal of full continence for the divorced and remarried," and that if a couple in a situation of divorce and remarriage should fall into sin while trying to maintain that continence, they could be admitted to the "sacrament of reconciliation" (NB: reconciliation first--not communion), and could be admitted to the sacrament of reconciliation only "after adequate discernment" and only "in certain cases."
Amoris Laetitia, even in its "controversial" aspects was certainly not some sort of free for all.
Minor correction: AL is an apostolic exhortation, not a papal encyclical. At the risk of oversimplifying, an exhortation is a pastoral document and an encyclical is a teaching document.
I just bought a copy of AL a week ago. It's a very large encyclical with tons of content, so I'm curious if the Holy Father is hoping to get people to focus on a lot of the other ideas and not just the controversial part. People said Magnifica Humanitas was long, but the book I have of AL is noticeably thicker.
And FWIW, the "controversy" was silly from the get-go. Reduced culpability just means that their irregular state *in certain individual cases* can be venial and not mortal sin. People act like Pope Francis spoke out of both sides of his mouth, as if he suddenly decided these relationships are A-OK, when in reality it was just pointing out that it's possible that these couples not be in a state of mortal sin per se. It is about giving people the grace of the sacraments where possible so that they can actually live in chastity when they are not in a state of mortal sin. It's not about telling people that they don't have to change, or God accepts their relationship as-is. It's true this is a change in the discipline of the Church, but that's all it is. It's not a doctrinal change. A disciplinary change where the Pope felt it was better to err on the side of liberality of openness, even knowing that there may be cases of sacrilege where pastoral discernment isn't perfect.
I hope that the Holy Father gives the controversial aspect a very concise and clear remark and then goes on to focus on other issues around the family.
I think you're exactly right. Amoris Laetitia was always much more than just one footnote, and the controversy didn't seem to want to deal with the document on its own terms--terms that were orthodox.
Regarding the "admission to the sacraments" of a divorced and remarried couple, even in the responsa to Cardinal Duka's dubia, Cardinal Fernandez stated that Pope Francis "maintains the proposal of full continence for the divorced and remarried," and that if a couple in a situation of divorce and remarriage should fall into sin while trying to maintain that continence, they could be admitted to the "sacrament of reconciliation" (NB: reconciliation first--not communion), and could be admitted to the sacrament of reconciliation only "after adequate discernment" and only "in certain cases."
Amoris Laetitia, even in its "controversial" aspects was certainly not some sort of free for all.
Minor correction: AL is an apostolic exhortation, not a papal encyclical. At the risk of oversimplifying, an exhortation is a pastoral document and an encyclical is a teaching document.
Well said! Mea culpa!