'Amoris Laetitia': Francis challenges the church | National Catholic Reporter

'Amoris Laetitia': Francis challenges the church | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: There is an interesting parallel between how Francis treats the rules and Jesus treats the Law, which will last until the fulfillment.  Of course, how we in the Church deal with the rules is as much a study in sociological truth as it is in doctrinal truth - and believe me, sociology is as much a moral as science as theology - especially on questions of divorce and sexuality.  Indeed, it may find better answers.  Francis is trying to make sure the Church's answers are as good, but without changing the rules (which is good for peace in the hierarchy, but not enough for the Church as the people of God - who follow their own rules anyway - sociology wins again).



Bravo to Francis for endorsing the equality of women in the workplace, the family and the world.  If only he could come around to doing so in the clergy.  The sociology on this contradiction will result in many journal articles for those who care enough to write them.



The meditation on the Trinity ignores the fact that marriage was a latter day Sacrament in the Church. This of course calls forth the very human truth that assumes that the dogma believed by their parents or progenitors has always existed.  Its a a childish notion and the reason why more radical change is not happening today. While everything does flow from the salvic act of the Incarnation, Mission, Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, we should quit making up stories about the history of marriage that are not true and find some truths we had missed.



Gay marriage is a good example - the Bible asserts that when a couple gets married, they leave their families of origin behind and form a new bond.  This applies as much to gay marriage as more traditional forms, even with Jesus quoting the words on maleness and femaleness attributed to God in Genesis (which were probably written during the Babylonian exile - and with the same authority as most papal, or even episcopal, letters).We need to use scripture, not fetishize it.



All this being said, I wonder what the back channel communications are on this Exhortation.  Is this a hint that the rules are the rules, but when dealing pastorally they are a suggestion when dealing with the pastoral problems of broken families and spouses?  If so, this is a truly radical piece that affirms the rules while making them expendible. Jesus would like that.  I wonder how many priests will take the same tack when being asked to bless gay unions?  This could eventually be big news indeed and it certainly does not stop progress, as we modernists would call it.  It winks at it.