Pope Francis has given divorced Catholics who remarry civilly a ray of hope in an apostolic exhortation described by local senior Church figures as a breakthrough document.
Fr Rene Camilleri, head of the Curia’s catechesis secretariat, said the document was imbued with realism that recognised the everyday difficulties faced by families.
“The document does not necessarily change Church doctrine but it definitely shifts focus… no Pope has ever said in such clear terms that people in irregular situations cannot be pigeon-holed and assumed to be all living in sin,” Fr Camilleri said.
Pope Francis released the document Amoris Laetitia, the Joy of Love, last Friday in the wake of two synods on the family held in 2014 and 2015. But while it failed to make significant inroads regarding gay relationships, it called on the clergy not to be judgmental. “We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them,” the Pope said.
Fr Camilleri said the document was a “breath of fresh air” as much as it was a challenge to the Church to understand the reality people encountered in family life.
“We will be failing to hear what God wants to tell us if we ignore reality… the Pope moved away from preaching about the ideal marriage, instead focussing on the relationship as a voyage of discovery,” Fr Camilleri said.
It is a sentiment expressed by Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, who represented the Maltese episcopal council at both synods at the Vatican.
In a Facebook post, he said the document was not a collection of do’s and don’ts; it was not a rule book but rather a useful tool to help Christians understand better their relationship with God.
A pastoral approach that requires compassion
“What identifies the life of a Christian is not the abstract rules, necessary as they may be, but the personal and unique bond with God,” Mgr Grech said, adding that the document challenged Church leaders to devote more energy to accompanying people in a spiritual journey.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna said he was impressed by the document and its underlying themes of mercy and compassion.
In the chapter dealing with irregular families, the Pope invited the clergy to tackle these situations on a case-by-case basis, he added.
“The Pope is inviting us to adopt a pastoral approach that requires discernment and compassion,” Mgr Scicluna said.
With the document still fresh off the printing press, Mgr Scicluna said that he would be discussing Amoris Laetitia with Mgr Grech in the interest of ensuring there was synergy in the way they spoke to priests in their respective dioceses.
Papal exhortations
Decentralisation of theology: “Cultures are in fact quite diverse and every general principle… needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied.”
Sex education: “The need is there, and we have to ask if our educational institutions have taken up this challenge.”
Divorced Catholics: “The baptised who are divorced and civilly remarried need to be more fully integrated into Christian communities… such persons need to feel not as excommunicated members of the Church, but instead as living members, able to live and grow in the Church.”
Pastoral mercy: “At times we find it hard to make room for God’s unconditional love in our pastoral activity. We put so many conditions on mercy that we empty it of its concrete meaning and real significance.”