Pope Francis has said that everything in Amoris Laetitia resulted from the synod. In an interview with the Belgian magazine Tertio, the Pope said the document was “the result of two synods, in which all the Church worked, and which the Pope made his own”. The debates at the synod on the Church’s teaching have been reignited by Amoris Laetitia, with four cardinals submitting “dubia” asking for clarification of passages which could be read as contradicting Church teaching.
What commentators are saying
At Catholic culture, Phil Lawler said that Catholics should not feel bound to accept possible novelties like Communion for the remarried. For one thing, past teachings were still valid; for another, in Amoris Laetitia Francis avoids “the sort of
authoritative statement that would command the assent of the faithful. We cannot be expected – much less commanded – to accept a new ‘teaching’ that the Pope has chosen, for his own reasons, not to make.”
At MercatorNet, Michael Cook said the Pope’s critics had missed the point. Francis’s approach “is not intended to be lax” but pastoral, guiding people to understand, appreciate and eventually love the moral law”. Its success will depend “on the priest’s determination to hold the line on Catholic doctrine”.
Dave Armstrong, a Patheos blogger, said he was “very reluctant to criticise the Pope at all, due to my very strong Catholic reverence for the office”. Moreover, he said, we shouldn’t be too quick to judge Francis’s writing. “I know from my own experience … that writers can be misinterpreted,” Armstrong wrote. That said: “It’s becoming increasingly inexplicable why he would not simply clarify the issue and be done with it.”
In an interview with Regina Magazine, the Vatican journalist Edward Pentin noted that the four cardinals’ dubia request had not brought much reaction from other cardinals. “If silence is taken to mean consent for the dubia, then one could argue that the vast majority are in favour of the four cardinals.” That support will grow, he said, if the Pope’s silence continued.
The most overlooked story of the week
✣ Church averts violent clashes in Central Africa
What happened?
Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo have begun mediating a compromise between President Joseph Kabila and the opposition. Kabila had caused uproar by saying he would continue as president in defiance of the constitution. The bishops predicted chaos if the government and opposition did not agree a timetable for elections.
Why was it under-reported?
The current constitutional crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is just the latest phase in decades of often horrifically bloody conflict in the country. The role of the Catholic Church in attempting to find a peaceful solution is not newsworthy for the secular press.
Kabila succeeded his father to the presidency in 2001. Protests against him began last year when a bill proposed he stay in power until after a national census – which would take years. Further protests in September left nearly 50 dead.
What will happen next?
‘‘Despite all divergences, we believe a political compromise is still possible if the main parties get involved and prove their goodwill around the table,” the bishops’ conference said. But President Kabila has a track record of going back on agreements. He has stalled the electoral process for over a year. A source told Catholic News Service that his acceptance of the Church’s mediation could just be another ploy. “He could once again pull the rug out from under [the bishops’ conference] when it suits his purposes,” the source said.
✣The week ahead
Pope Francis turns 80 tomorrow. Last year he spent the morning of his birthday with a Catholic Action group which welcomes migrants to Italy; in 2014, couples danced the tango in St Peter’s Square. A group of MPs has tabled a motion for the House of Commons to wish him happy birthday. Last year the Ukrainian president wished him happy 80th by mistake.
The Vatican will host a concert tomorrow to raise money for the poor. The singer-songwriter Claudio Baglioni will play on behalf of Italians affected by last summer’s earthquake and the children of conflict-torn Bangui in the Central African Republic.
St John’s Cathedral, Salford, is hosting an event for young people on Sunday. ReIgnite!, which takes place 5.30pm to 8pm, is billed as a “chance to experience our faith as fun, engaging and transformative”. There will be music, talks and faith testimonies, as well as a trip to the pub. The gathering is held on the third Sunday every month.
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