Review article
MERCY AND TRUTH IN RELATION TO THE DIVORCED AND REMARRIED IN THE POPE FRANCIS’ APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION “AMORIS LAETITIA”
Josip Grbac
; Teologija u Rijeci – KBF, Zagreb
Abstract
Abstract
In relation to the problem of admitting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to the sacraments, Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (Joy of Love) represents a great challenge both to pastoral workers and theologians. Pope Francis makes a big step forward by not putting in the foreground the question of the validity of the first marriage, but focusing on the question of whether anyone in such a situation is at the same time in a state of personal sin. By adopting the traditional theses of the Church’s moral doctrine, Pope Francis considers that what is objectively wrong does not mean that a person, living in such an objectively sinful state, also always commits a personal sin. In this way Pope Francis opens the door for further reflection on the practice of the Church in relation to people living in irregular situations. In the foreground of the papal considerations stands the human being under two aspects: on the one hand, under the aspect of history, when the circumstances do not allow a person to change the state of life, and on the other hand a human being as capable, with the strength of one’s own conscience, of making decisions certain that these are, at the time, the most appropriate answer he can give to God. In this way, Pope Francis opens the possibility of discussion about the conditions of admission of persons living in civil marriage to the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist.
Keywords
love; sin; circumstances; conscience; divine law; marriage; confession; Eucharist
Hrčak ID:
187680
URI
Publication date:
1.8.2017.
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