Press title for Associated Press take on the closed door meeting Pope Leo will have concerning Amoris Laetitia:
Pope Leo seeks status update of Francis’s divisive look at divorced and remarried Catholics
My Comments:
To be honest with you, apart from that viral footnote, I thought Pope Francis’ Amoris Laetitia was very good.
However, apart from the footnote controversy, I don’t think Amoris Laetitia has been implemented in any noticeable way anywhere in the world or at least in the Province of Atlanta. Am I wrong?
The viral footnote, though, eclipsed all the good in the document. This was typical of Pope Francis’ reign. His Holiness would go on beautiful pilgrimages and do great things and say great things and then on the way home gave his famous “high altitude” off-the-cuff press conferences, often disjointed and incoherent and always controversial which then eclipsed all the good that happened on the pilgrimage.
I think the bottom line of the “footnote” was that Catholics in what is considered to be an adulterous sexual relationship could be accompanied by the pastoral ministry of the Church and in the process of that they could be admitted to the Sacraments of the Church, in particular Holy Communion, if that adulterous relationship is “good” apart from the adultery.
But!
That has been going on for decades. It’s called the “Internal Forum.” Often the “internal forum” was used illicitly by priests. It could only be used if the external forum was non-conclusive (meaning there wasn’t sufficient evidence to declare a previous bond as annulled, not because there wasn’t sufficient evidence for an annulment but there were no witnesses apart from the spouses to corroborate what was being said. Maybe witnesses had died or refused to cooperate).
In those cases, within the context of Confession, and the spouse in an illicit marital union initiating it, not the priest, the priest could give them a pastoral solution—if in good conscience they believed that their first marriage was illicit and the illicit marriage they are now in isn’t, they could go to Holy Communion apart from an annulment. But no formal blessing of that union was to take place.
That’s an art and not a science and the onus is on the penitent. They have to accept the punishment due their sin if in fact they are in an adulterous relationship in the eyes of God and are unrepentant about it and also making sacrilegious Communions.
But, the abuse of the internal forum went further at times. Priests and deacons would preside at a ceremony to “validate” an illicit marriage without an external, formal annulment decree. That is forbidden but it was/is done nonetheless.
Pope Francis was not advocating in Amoris Laetitia, convalidating illicit marriages without a formal external annulment decree.
Of course, today, with civil same sex “marriages” and the LGTBQ+++ ideologies demanding that the Church bless same sex marriages too, Amoris Laetitia’s viral footnote creates new challenges and certainly there are priests giving permission to those in illicit homosexual sexual unions, civil marriages, to receive Holy Communion or not refusing Holy Communion to those in these unions. There are also formal blessings given in Church that resemble weddings, also forbidden.
The other way around opening Holy Communion to anyone in an illicit “marriage, is if the couple is living together in a sibling relationship, i.e. not having any kind of sex, they may receive Holy Communion. And yes, this is common that so-called spouses are no longer having sex but support each other and care for each other by living and sleeping together.
Finally, those in a state of mortal sin, non repentant and never going to confession, are coming up to receive Holy Communion any time, even if infrequently, they attend Mass. That’s a whole “nother” can of worms that no one is addressing and it happens at almost every Mass everywhere in the world.
Why are we so worried about one segment of those receiving Holy Communion sacrilegiously and not the majority?
10 comments:
Speaking of Amoris Laetitia:
I recall the disgraceful assault that Cardinal Burke had helped to foment against the Magisterial authority of Amoris Laetitia.
AI Overview:
"Cardinal Raymond Burke famously argued that Pope Francis's 2016 apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, is not a magisterial document and does not constitute authoritative Church teaching."
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Catholic World News:
August 10, 2017 A.D:
"Cardinal Raymond Burke repeated that Amoris Laetitia is not a magisterial document, in an address in Louisville, Kentucky."
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Fortunately, as he has done repeatedly, Pope Leo XIV has promoted, as well as made his own, major documents/teachings that Pope Francis had initiated.
Recent example:
Pope Leo XIV insisted that Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium, which Pope Leo XIV has made his own, is the key to energizing the Church in France.
September 25, 2026 A.D.
Pope Leo XIV, homily, Vespers:
"Dear bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, seminarians of France...Make the vision of Evangelii Gaudium your priority, namely the missionary conversion which Pope Francis spoke of in his first Apostolic Exhortation."
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Now, Pope Leo XIV, who has made beautiful Amoris Laetitia his document, will promote in powerful fashion the amazing document that Cardinal Burke had misrepresented.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark, how has AL been implemented in your diocese?
Amoris Laetitia is not a magisterial document in the sense that it has a stand alone authority. These are reserved to dogmatic declarations of Church councils and papal proclamations. It, like all non-dogmatic statements, must be read in the light of the entire Church magisterium and must conform to it. Inasmuch as any non-dogmatic statement, even by a pope, may contradict the teachings of the Ordinary Magisterium, it is open to criticism and rejection.
You should re-read Pastor Aeternus.
Father McDonald, thank you for your question.
Bishop Burns, from day one, praised, explained, then implemented Amoris Laetitia throughout the Dallas Diocese.
I was curious as to AI Overview's take in regard to your question, The following from AI Overview has corresponded to that which I have experienced.
"Bishop Edward J. Burns has consistently signaled strong verbal and pastoral support for Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia...Bishop Burns has leaned into the document's emphasis on "accompaniment" and inclusivity."
"Burns has chosen to weave the document's principles directly into standard marriage ministries.
"For example, the diocese integrates the framework of Amoris Laetitia into events like its annual Diocesan Newlywed Mass, emphasizing ongoing accompaniment..."
"In late 2025, Bishop Burns issued a comprehensive Post-Synodal Pastoral Letter and Implementation Plan for Dalla...local implementation explicitly views family pastoral care through the welcoming lens modeled by Amoris Laetitia..."
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Our parish, in line with Bishop Burns, has emphasized Amoris Laetitia via family and marriage ministries. Amoris Laetitia, for those who have embraced said document's holy, beautiful teachings, has strengthened families/marriages.
Our then-pastor first exhorted us to ignore the nonsense that certain folks had fomented against Amoris Laetitia..."
In regard to Amoris Laetitia: Bishop Burns, in communion with Rome, has served as our teacher...zero confusion in our diocese...zero concern in regard to the nonsense that pertained to the footnote.
Father McDonald, thank you.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Father McDonald said..."I don’t think Amoris Laetitia has been implemented in any noticeable way anywhere in the world..."
Let us say that the above is correct.
Pope Leo XIV will launch soon a tremendous initiative to promote Amoris Laetitia to the hilt.
Pope Leo XIV has made it clear that Amoris Laetitia is a holy Magisterial document that is of tremendous importance to the Church.
We are treated again to the wonderful, crystal clear, powerful manner in which Pope Leo XIV has demonstrated continuity with Pope Francis.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Amoris Laetitia addresses pastoral care, a question of prudence, not dogma. As such it carries not magisterial weight. As such it has to be weighed against what the Church has taught dogmatically over the last 2000 years.
I see that Leo XIV chose his own for the meeting on Amoris Laetitia. The list of personal guests invited by the Pope to the meeting from October 7 to 14 brings together the most prominent names from the progressive wing of the Church and excludes all critics of Francis’s exhortation. I guess this means that there will be no fraternal correction or admonishment by the Pope. The official convocation speaks of “synodal discernment” and “mutual listening.“ Great. That the Pope has invited a group consisting of largely "Yes men" is not a good sign that the significant issues of AL will be addressed. This is one way to make sure that the outcome that is desired is indeed achieved.
Everyone is manufacturing hysteria over this small group he chose and not looking at the larger group of 111 invitees presidents of bishops’ Conferences, many with mainline orthodox views. Archbishop Coakley, Bishop Varden, Archbishop Moth and Bishop Veras to name a few.
I am not really prone to hysteria, Father - I practiced Pediatric Critical Care Medicine for 40 years, taking care of the sickest kids during this time and was able to find the inner calm necessary to do this. But to your point, I have looked at many of the attendees, though I have not done an exacting analysis of all of them in such a short time.
But of the invitees you mention, only Archbishop Paul Coakley has expressed concerns regarding the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia and Pope Francis’s previous comments, specifically linking them to controversies over contraception and the Church's moral teaching on marriage. Coakley emphasized that using contraception is sinful and that the Church cannot change its teaching.
I could not find any concerns raised by Bishop Erik Varden, Archbishop Richard Moth, and Bishop Daniel Veras regarding AL.
In a June 2026 pastoral letter for Corpus Christi, Archbishop Luis Argüello, president of the Spanish Bishops' Conference explicitly reaffirmed that Catholics living in a "new conjugal relationship" after the breakdown of a sacramental marriage cannot receive Holy Communion, stating that "this breaking of the Sacrament of the Covenant prevents Eucharistic communion."
The Polish Bishops' Conference has also been a consistent voice of concern, declaring that Amoris Laetitia has not changed Church doctrine on communion for the divorced and civilly remarried. A commentary on Roma Locuta Est (Sept. 20, 2026) specifically urges the attending bishops to raise formal dubia with Pope Leo XIV about the "seeming if not actual contradictions" between Amoris Laetitia and John Paul II's Familiaris Consortio, citing Argüello as one who has already publicly voiced opposition.
That said, Vatican officials have been clear that the Oct. 7–14 meeting is not an evaluation of the document and is "not about rehashing old disputes.”
I guess we’ll see.
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