Pope Francis’s 260-page apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia,challenges Catholics to be discerning individuals who stop thinking in black and white. But do the shades of grey fuel confused interpretations? Fr Kevin Schembri tells Ariadne Massa that Catholics should digest the document and “go on a journey of mercy”.
In March 2013, Fr Schembri was among the thousands celebrating outside the Vatican when Jorge Bergoglio was named Pope, and he has not stopped cheering since.
“I follow the Pope very closely and this document is what I’ve been hoping for and dreaming about for the Church after the synod on the family,” he says, quoting succinct paragraphs from the long-awaited document.
The 35-year-old defender of the bond at the Church’s tribunal, who returned to Malta last year after six years studying in Rome, is still trying to digest the exhaustive treatise on love, marriage and faith and encourages everybody to do the same.
The Pope’s Joy of Love, released last week, challenges Catholics to search their conscience when navigating the complexities of marriage and family life rather than rely solely on the Church’s rules.
Some believe the document has made no significant changes, others believe it has not gone far enough to address the pressing issues, while others have hailed it for breaking new ground and opening the door to the possibility of communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.
“This document is an evolution and tells divorced and remarried Catholics in certain cases that ‘you’re welcome back home and you can sit at the table’,” Fr Schembri says.
Some question whether the document leads to different interpretations and confusion on Communion for the remarried and divorced, but Fr Schembri points to footnotes 336 and 351, which refer to the help the Church can give people living in what can be described as an “objective situation of sin”.
For me the Pope’s message offers a fresh approach which may have new consequences
Footnote 351 says: “In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments. Hence, ‘I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber, but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy’... I would also point out that the Eucharist ‘is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak’.”
Fr Schembri, a lecturer in Canon law, believes the Pope is very clearly shifting the focus on today’s realities.
“The document is a huge step on behalf of the Church towards meeting persons where they are and accompanying them on their not-always-simple-and-straightforward journey of love in the family,” he says.
The Pope, he adds, is encouraging Catholics – priests included – to move away from pigeonholing and judging others, to look at the mitigating factors that create “irregular” situations.
Fr Schembri quotes directly from Amoris Laetitia: “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.”
He stresses that although this document is a balm to assuage guilt and culpability of those in “irregular” situations and encourages Catholics to rely on their individual conscience, this cannot be done capriciously. It is not a free pass to do whatever they want to do; discernment has to happen in an honest, truthful quest for God’s will in their life, Fr Schembri says.
He appeals to the archdiocese and Catholics to adopt this document and be “formed in the art of discernment”.
In his document, the Pope says: “By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and of growth, and discourage paths of sanctification which give glory to God.”
Fr Schembri acknowledges that Cath-olics who look to the Church for guidance and seek stability in black-and-white rules may be destabilised and confused by the document. But he sees the document as an invitation by the Pope to grow and not be scared of navigating the deep waters towards pastoral conversion.
“Many prefer to follow the leader and do what the leader tells them, too scared to think critically, but for too many years, we may have been giving black-and-white answers when reality is different shades of grey.
“The document is very clear on what the ideal of marriage and family life should be, but it also acknowledges that there are no clear-cut answers on how, for example, to be a good parent or how to be a good husband or wife; every individual’s reality is different and the Pope urges mercy at the end of it all.
For too many years we may have been giving black-andwhite answers when reality is different shades of grey
“This document reaches out to those who perceive themselves to have been abandoned.”
Among those who feel neglected by the document is the LGBTI community, as the gay issue has remained untouched.
If there is one person who recognises the pain that emanates from this and appreciates the ethical and moral dilemmas it is Fr Schembri.
His brother is gay, and this situation has thrown the young priest on a journey of friendship, reflection and collaboration with the LGBTI community.
The Pope, he acknowledges, said no more or less on this subject, and while a superficial reading will give gays no reprieve, he believes a deeper analysis will reveal an opening.
“I’m hopeful and grateful that through this document the Pope has laid down an approach for encounter, observation and dialogue, to be attentive to a person’s reality. If we really listen to the experiences of gays, will we still remain untouched? Will we still pigeonhole them?
“Pope Francis is asking the Church to be close to the people, to walk with persons in their daily life without prejudice and fear, to learn from their experiences, to see and acknowledge what is good and beautiful, even in situations which do not fall in any of our longstanding, clear-cut categories...
“In other words, he is asking us to be not just a ‘teaching Church’ but also a ‘learning Church’ on a journey. I’m not a prophet, but for me the Pope’s message offers a fresh approach which may have new consequences,” Fr Schembri says, urging patience on this delicate subject.
He remains optimistic and refers to paragraph 297 in the document, which says: “It is a matter of reaching out to everyone, of needing to help each person find his or her proper way of participating in the ecclesial community... No one can be condemned forever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel. Here I am not speaking only of the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in whatever situation they find themselves.”
The gay, remarried and divorced are the subjects that have made most headlines, but Fr Schembri is quick to point out that Amoris Laetitia is much more than that. It is not simply an encyclopaedia about the doctrine of marriage but a document that concerns the dynamic of love in the family in all its shapes and forms. The document itself, he adds, is rooted in love and is a call for Catholics across the world to adopt a new pastoral approach.
“I’m excited and happy about this document. Let us all read it, digest it, give it time and go on a journey of mercy.”