Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Cardinal Schönborn praises ‘Amoris Laetitia’ stance on gay marriage

Cardinal Schönborn praises ‘Amoris Laetitia’ stance on gay marriage

Last updated on: April 8, 2016 at 8:02 pm by CNA Daily News

Cardinal Schönborn praises ‘Amoris Laetitia’ stance on gay marriage 2016-04-08T20:02:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Apr 8, 2016 / 02:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis' new document on love in the family is welcome particularly for its steadfast adherence to Church teaching on homosexual acts and relationships, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said.

“There’s another point in which (Pope Francis) is very firm: speaking about gay couples or homosexual couples, he insists very clearly that only the union between a man and woman, open to new life, by principle, can be called a marriage,” the cardinal told CNA April 8 during an interview shortly after leading the press conference presenting Amoris Laetitia at the Vatican.

“And I'm very happy that he did clarify this, because the other situations can be partnerships, relationships, but it’s certainly not a marriage.”

The apostolic exhortation is the conclusion of a two-year synod process discussing both the beauty and challenges of family life today. Hosted at the Vatican in 2014 and 2015, these synods gathered hundreds of bishops from around the world.

It makes a brief but clear reference to homosexuality, saying that “the Church makes her own the attitude of the Lord Jesus, who offers his boundless love to each person without exception … We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, while 'every sign of unjust discrimination' is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence.”

Pope Francis wrote that families which include gay persons “should be given respectful pastoral guidance, so that those who manifest a homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God's will in their lives.”

He then quoted the Synod Fathers, who had written that “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family” and that it is unacceptable that “international bodies should make financial aid to poor countries dependent on the introduction of laws to establish 'marriage' between persons of the same sex.”

Cardinal Schönborn called the document “a great catechesis.”

“You can take chapter by chapter, passage by passage, and work through it in the parish, in the communities. It’s a great, great catechesis on marital and familial love. And I think that’s a source we can use for our pastoral work.”

Cardinal Schönborn noted that “it's fascinating to see how much (Pope Francis) relies on the work of the bishops in the synods” in his document, and that he “quoted a great number of texts from both synods.”

Much of the media discussion of the synods has focused on pastoral care of the divorced-and-remarried.

Pope Francis' discussion of accompaniment for the divorced-and-remarried focused on a discernment made in conjunction with one's pastor, and Cardinal Schönborn affirmed that “there is a danger, of course,” of couples not being led properly in such discernment.

“But, this danger exists always, since the beginning of the Church, because shepherds can lead or mislead,” he reflected. “They can be too harsh, or too compromising. But this is the art he is speaking about: the art of accompanying people. That’s the proper capacity for a Good Shepherd.”

During the press conference, Cardinal Schönborn had been joined by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, and by the Mianos, a married couple from Italy.

Cardinal Schönborn began the event by saying there has been “too much concentration” on the questions regarding the pastoral care of the divorced-and-remarried. “It’s a trap to focus everything on this point because you forget the sum total of the situation.”

“A key to reading Amoris laetitia is the experience of the poor,” he said. “In the families of the poor, little steps on the path of virtue are experienced that can be much greater than those who live in 'comfortable success'.”

He added that even after the release of this apostolic exhortation, “there are many questions to continue to discuss, and one of the points is a renovation of sacramental praxis. Fifty years after Vatican II it is good to think about what a sacramental life means, and not only in a particular case.”

Several questions focused on the relationship between Amoris laetitia and Familiaris consortio, St. John Paul II's own apostolic exhortation following a Synod on the Family, which was published in 1981.

“I don't see that there is a change,” Cardinal Schönborn said, “but certainly there is a development, just as Pope John Paul developed doctrine … John Henry Newman explained to us how the organic development of doctrine works. Pope Francis is developing things in this way.”

Cardinal Baldisseri responded to a question regarding “ongoing debate” about pastoral care, saying that “the Church is on the road, so it’s the synod question which is important. It’s not that it’s ever closed. We’re moving forward, walking together with certainties: revelation and everything that is the tradition of the Church. The discourse continues.”

“But, we’re sure of what we have. In this sense, it’s not closed. It’s open, and for the theologians, it's their task and responsibility to deepen doctrine; so that’s why this continues. It’s a dynamic form. The Pope also speaks of steps: this is a step. We need to take little steps at all levels, whether in the family or relationships with people, and also in the field of theological research and deepening.”

Ann Schneible contributed to this report.

Vatican

Previous Post

April 8, 2016

Bernie Sanders, 'a big fan' of Pope Francis, to attend Vatican conference

Next Post

April 8, 2016 US bishops: don't rush in reading, interpreting Pope's 'love letter' to families

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the first book of the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Luke Matthew Mark John