NewPope Francis eases way for divorced Catholics but repeats limits on gays, denounces abortion
Liberal and conservative Catholics find something to disapprove in Pope’s ‘The Joy of Love’
Defining his mission to create a more merciful church, Pope Francis published Friday a much-anticipated exhortation on love and marriage, easing the way for remarried, divorced Catholics to rejoin the faith but reiterating limits on gay unions and the ban on contraception and abortion.
The 260-page document, the product of several years of debate within the Roman Catholic hierarchy, advocates for flexibility, tolerance and compassion in the church.
But the document, titled “Amoris Laetitia,” Latin for “The Joy of Love,” may disappoint Francis’ legions of liberal fans looking for doctrinal change.
“By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and of growth,” the pope wrote. “Let us remember that ‘a small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order.’”
Church leaders broadly welcomed the pope’s message. “We all have a lot to learn from ‘Amoris Laetitia,’” said Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.
“It is important that the divorced who have entered a new union should be made to feel part of the Church. They are not excommunicated and they should not be treated as such, since they remain part of the ecclesial community”
But Catholic liberals and gay groups expressed disappointment, while conservatives remained uncomfortable with granting any leeway that in their view could undermine religious discipline.