On Friday, April 8, the head of the Roman Catholic Church revealed to the public a major teaching about the Catholic family including sensitive issues such as gay marriage, divorce, cohabitation, abortion and birth control.
The highly anticipated paper called On Love in the Family or Amoris Laetitia in Latin, the 256-page document reflects the consensus of the meetings of the world’s Catholic bishops held in October 2014 and October 2015.
Back in 2013, Pope Francis was quoted saying “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” In the groundbreaking document, Pope Francis has once again made a revolutionary remark about homosexuals. Although Pope Francis defines the ideal relationship as a heterosexual marriage and that he doesn’t support gay marriage, he also emphasized that other loving relationships have importance too.
The current head of the Roman Catholic Church calls for more mercy and tolerance than judgment.
He writes: "Every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration."
The Pontiff also discussed the different circumstances that might possibly lead to a divorce, which is deemed as a sin based on Catholic teachings. He urged priests to “carefully discern situations” and welcome divorced Catholics into religious life.
“Such persons need to feel not as excommunicated members of the Church, but instead as living members, able to live and grow in the Church and experience her as a mother who welcomes them always, who takes care of them with affection and encourages them along the path of life and the Gospel,” Pope Francis write.
In the document, Pope Francis asked for better sexual education for Catholic youth and maintained his negative stand against artificial birth control. According to him, the practice of “safe sex” sends a “negative attitude towards the natural procreative finality of sexuality”.
Moreover, the Pope urged priests to approach Catholics not in judgement but in love as well as to make decisions suitable to their local conditions, needs and culture.
-Mini, The Summit Express
The highly anticipated paper called On Love in the Family or Amoris Laetitia in Latin, the 256-page document reflects the consensus of the meetings of the world’s Catholic bishops held in October 2014 and October 2015.
Back in 2013, Pope Francis was quoted saying “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” In the groundbreaking document, Pope Francis has once again made a revolutionary remark about homosexuals. Although Pope Francis defines the ideal relationship as a heterosexual marriage and that he doesn’t support gay marriage, he also emphasized that other loving relationships have importance too.
The current head of the Roman Catholic Church calls for more mercy and tolerance than judgment.
He writes: "Every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration."
The Pontiff also discussed the different circumstances that might possibly lead to a divorce, which is deemed as a sin based on Catholic teachings. He urged priests to “carefully discern situations” and welcome divorced Catholics into religious life.
“Such persons need to feel not as excommunicated members of the Church, but instead as living members, able to live and grow in the Church and experience her as a mother who welcomes them always, who takes care of them with affection and encourages them along the path of life and the Gospel,” Pope Francis write.
In the document, Pope Francis asked for better sexual education for Catholic youth and maintained his negative stand against artificial birth control. According to him, the practice of “safe sex” sends a “negative attitude towards the natural procreative finality of sexuality”.
Moreover, the Pope urged priests to approach Catholics not in judgement but in love as well as to make decisions suitable to their local conditions, needs and culture.
-Mini, The Summit Express
