Corrupt Pastoral Practice Means Corrupt Doctrine

Amoris Laetitia’s Dirty Little Secret

When Amoris Laetitia (hereafter AL) was first published in March 2016, Pope Francis’s episcopal cheerleaders insisted that the document has introduced no changes to Church doctrine: it merely explores how we are to understand the “pastoral a … [Read more...]

The Dilemma of Pope Francis: The 2018 World Meeting of Families

By now everyone — especially Catholics — should know that the 2018 World Meeting of Families, sponsored by the Vatican Congregation of Marriage and Family Life, will gather in Dublin, Ireland this August. In recent months, stories about t … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

For February 2018

Question: There seems to be an ongoing question about the explanation of marriage which appears in Amoris Laetitia concerning the reliability of moral laws. Even some orthodox Catholics are questioning whether a moral law can be considered … [Read more...]

Further Dubia for the Confused

The Holy Father is given very special graces to guide the Catholic Church, being the successor of Peter. He is the vicar of Christ to which I adhere. Yet, when reading his latest exhortation, Amoris laetitia, I feel confused. In 1998, … [Read more...]

The Flawed Strategy Behind Amoris Laetitia

Catholics continue to be confounded by the mixed signals sent by Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Given the high-ranking Church officials who have weighed in (but on opposite sides), and some who have been apparently … [Read more...]

Considering Culpability

Why an Article on this Topic? It all began with a statement made by a student in a class I was teaching for our License in Sacred Theology (STL) Program at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. I was conducting a seminar on the stages of … [Read more...]

Education in Chaste Love After Amoris Laetitia

Introduction After the publication of the post-synodal exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, does one still need to regard as valid the teaching of Pope Saint John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio that parents are the ones called to give their … [Read more...]

Divorce, Remarriage, and “Discerning the Body”

On Pope Francis’ Interpretation of 1 Cor 11:27-34 in Amoris Laetitia

Introduction Over the past year since its release, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (hereafter AL), has elicited a great deal of consternation among the faithful of the Catholic Church. The controversy surrounding the d … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Question:  If a couple is in the state of mortal sin because of cohabitation before marriage without confession, is the marriage still a valid sacramental marriage? If not, when does it become a sacramental marriage? Answer:  This q … [Read more...]

Chapter Eight of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia”

For a guided reading Chapter Eight of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia is significantly entitled: "Accompanying, discerning and integrating weakness." This part of the document is not very large, because it is … [Read more...]

The Maltese Bishops on Divorce and Remarriage

The ongoing fallout from the ambiguous norms of Amoris Laetitia (AL) continues, the most recent being a letter to clergy, “Criteria for the Application of Chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitia,” issued January 8 by the Archbishop of Malta and the … [Read more...]

A Different Perspective on Amoris Laetitia

Because so much of what has been written about Amoris Laetitia has concerned what is considered the controversial eighth chapter on divorced and remarried Catholics, and others living in irregular situations, the primary purpose, beauty, … [Read more...]

Amoris Laetitia, the Human Person, and the Meaning of Marital Indissolubility

Since the release of Pope Francis’s Post-Synodal Apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, on April 8, 2016, numerous articles and statements disagree as to whether the pope either has opened the possibility of admitting civilly divorced and r … [Read more...]

Amoris Laetitia: A Deceptive Joy

The recent publication of Pope Francis' document on the family and married life, Amoris Laetitia ("Joy of Love") has caused consternation, confusion, and deep anguish among Catholics. They wonder: Are the Church’s timeless teachings on m … [Read more...]