In proclamation on family life, Pope Francis says conscience, not rules, should guide Catholics

On Friday, Pope Francis released a long-awaited, 256-page document on family life, Amoris Laetitia ("The Joy of Love"). The papal exhortation seeks to open the arms of the Catholic Church and focus more on individual conscience as a guiding principle instead of hard rules when it comes to issues like marriage, contraception, sex, and family. "We have been called to form consciences, not replace to them," the pope wrote. It does not change church doctrine, but instead instructs bishops and priests to not "simply apply moral laws to those living in 'irregular' situations, as if they were stones to throw at people's lives," possibly opening a door to communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.

"I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion," the pope wrote. "But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness." Amois Laetitia marks the conclulsion of two years of discussion and consultation with bishops, and it replaces Pope John Paul II's 1981 exhortation Familius Consortio as the guiding Catholic document on family life.

Early opinion among Catholic scholars was mixed. "It wasn't as innovative as many had hoped," Lucetta Scaraffia, a scholar of Catholicism in Rome, tells The New York Times, especially "with respect to the investment and expectations that the world had." Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit like Francis, called Amoris Laetitia "a quietly revolutionary document," explaining: "It restores the role of personal conscience and reminds pastors to meet people where they are. It will be a great encouragement especially to divorced and remarried Catholics and anyone who feels they have been unwelcome in the church."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Conservative Catholic theologian R.R. Reno, editor of First Things, did not disagree with Martin, but called the pope's approach "an ill-judged shift." "This document clearly opens up the possibility that a priest may determine that a divorced and remarried person is worthy to receive communion," he said, "but under what terms and why is muddy."