Faculty comment on Pope Francis' letter, 'Amoris Laetitia' | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Faculty comment on Pope Francis' letter, 'Amoris Laetitia' Faculty comment on Pope Francis' letter, 'Amoris Laetitia' Published: April 08, 2016 Author: Michael O. Garvey Pope Francis Pope Francis released his apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”) in Rome Friday morning (April 8). The document addresses such areas of Catholic Church doctrine as the admission of divorced and remarried Catholics to the sacrament of the Eucharist, same-sex relationships and cohabitation, all issues that arose, often controversially, during the Synod of Bishops in Rome last October. Here is what some people on the Notre Dame faculty are saying and thinking about “Amoris Laetitia.” Candida Moss According to Candida R. Moss, professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, “In many ways the Apostolic Exhortation is a ratification of the Synods that preceded it. Grace and compassion are extended to all; the primacy of traditional marriage is reasserted; and the door is cracked for the divorced and remarried to receive communion. It is a document marked by both pragmatism and deeply felt compassion toward the lived experiences of faithful Catholics. He demonstrates exquisite sensitivity to the way that poverty, housing problems, violence, drugs, migration, arranged marriages, abandonment and persecution affect the family. Indeed, part of his rationale for pastoral sensitivity towards the divorced and remarried is his recognition that financial pressures often lead to remarriage. Francis’ compassion runs out when it comes to the kinds of marital problems associated with the wealthy. No compassionate caveats are offered for those using contraception or reproductive technology. Surrogacy is denounced in scathing terms and contraception tied to greed and consumerism. For the Church, the family is the building block of society and, for Francis, the world is plagued by exploitative consumerism and self-interested individualism. He caters to the families wounded by the ills of the world and refuses to pander to the kinds of marital problems he sees as rooted in consumeristic selfishness. Again he proves that he is a developing world Pope focused on developing world Catholics.” Moss, a scholar of Biblical studies and early Christian history, writes and lectures on Biblical and early Christian literature, history and thought. She is the author of “The Other Christs: Imitating Jesus in Ancient Christian Ideologies of Martyrdom” and “Ancient Christian Martyrdom: Diverse Practices, Ideologies, and Traditions.” Contact: 574-631-5079, candida.moss@nd.edu Timothy O’Malley According to Timothy O’Malley, director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy and concurrent professor of theology, “‘Amoris Laetitia’ offers a theologically compelling vision of marriage and family life for the Church. The major task of the Church today, as Pope Francis notes, is to provide a persuasive account of marriage and family in an era in which both are threatened by forced migration, poverty, young adults who reject institutions, and a forgetfulness of tenderness. He deals with divorce and cohabitation pastorally, building the case for a Scriptural and theological formation of conscience. It’s a document that will have an influence upon the Church’s theology of and pastoral practice for marriage for the next generation.” As director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, O’Malley engages in scholarship that seeks to retrieve biblical, catechetical and liturgical insights that facilitate a renewal of the Church’s liturgical imagination. He is also founding editor of the Institute for Church Life’s journal, Church Life: A Journal for the New Evangelization. Contact: 574-631-0571, tomalley@nd.edu Posted In: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion International Faith Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 09, 2020 Notre Dame signs agreement with Yad Vashem promoting Holocaust education and research August 22, 2016 Notre Dame to dedicate new center in Connemara, Ireland August 08, 2016 Paolo Carozza, director of Kellogg Institute, appointed to Vatican academy by Pope Francis July 28, 2016 Three questions with Latino theologian Peter J. Casarella June 20, 2016 Notre Dame to steward Newman University Church in Dublin For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn