The Amoris Laetitia Should Be Further Clarified

The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia) is a papal statement on the family that has garnered controversy because some have viewed it as a way to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion without an annulment (meaning the union never occurred as a Sacramental marriage). While the document only recommends pastoral adjustments while dealing with this issue, there is a lot of discussion about some bishops who have treated this to mean those in irregular situations may decide if they have an invalid marriage, and as well receive Holy Communion.

We, the laity, need to have this new direction explained to us.

The confusion is that when a first marriage has been dissolved by divorce, and a remarriage occurs, this is adultery according to what Jesus teaches. Without going through the process of annulment, there is no other way to look at such marriages as there is no third party to examine the evidence. By the mere suggestion someone who is in a second marriage without going through an annulment may decide for themselves they weren’t sacramentally married is dangerous for the rest of the Church. Is marriage for life? Is it a grave matter to end a marriage and remarry? If priests who are tasked with counseling people in irregular marriage err, is that their sin?

The Catholic laity needs answers. Some bishops have spent years avoiding discussing the serious sin of using artificial birth control and we know how that turned out because many Catholics use it--some never even hearing that it’s a grave sin.

The difference with divorce and remarriage is most people (as of today) know it is prohibited unless an annulment is granted. Therefore, the laity is not easily fooled because most of us are married and know the truth.

The words of Christ, Matthew:19, 9-12:

“ I say to you,^* whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” 10[His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word,^* but only those to whom that is granted. 12Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage^* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

The Way the Truth and the Life named Jesus is plain-spoken in Matthew. It’s time for a real dialogue before an entire generation is lost again.