Pope Leo asks for update on Francis’ controversial overture to divorced and remarried Catholics

Ten years after Pope Francis sent shockwaves through the Catholic Church by addressing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Pope Leo XIV is inviting Church leaders to Rome next week to understand how Francis’ document has been implemented.

Vatican officials stressed Friday that Francis’ 2016 text, “The Joy of Love,” cannot be rewritten, amended or deleted. The week-long closed-door conference that begins Wednesday is instead aimed at understanding how bishops have integrated the document’s teaching into their local communities.

Francis’ document covers a host of issues related to how the Catholic Church can better serve families today. But when it was released to the public after years of consultation, “The Joy of Love” immediately sparked controversy because it opened the door to communion for civilly remarried Catholics.

Church teaching holds that unless these Catholics obtain an annulment – ​​a Church decree declaring their first marriage invalid – they cannot receive the sacraments, because they are considered living in sin and committing adultery.

Francis did not create a Church-wide pass for these Catholics, but suggested — in vague terms and in a single strategically placed footnote — that bishops and priests could do so on a case-by-case basis after accompanying them on a spiritual journey of discernment.

Later comments and writings made it clear that Francis intended such leeway, in part because he believed that God’s mercy extends especially to sinners and that the Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but nourishment for the weak.

The document became one of the most controversial documents of Francis’ pontificate and became, in many ways, the focal point of conservative opposition to his papacy. Most conservative Catholics said it had caused confusion among the faithful about the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. Some even accused Francis of heresy.

A conference not to rewrite the text, but to see what the next steps are

On Friday, Vatican officials said it would be up to the 187 participants to decide whether and how specific points in Francis’ document would be discussed, insisting there was no pre-written final document.

“We cannot predict what themes will emerge from the bishops’ reflections, from their experiences,” said Gabriella Gambino, undersecretary of the Vatican Family Office, which is organizing the meeting.

Father Giacomo Costa, of the Vatican synodal office, said the Oct. 7-14 meeting was not a continuation of the synod on the family that provided the consultation leading to Francis’ text nor a chance to rewrite it.

“This is not a continuation of the synod itself, but rather an opportunity to assess where we are,” he said during a press briefing at the Vatican. “It is not a question of passing judgment as in school – by praising or criticizing the text itself – but rather of learning from the experience acquired since its publication.”

He said organizers expect differences, disagreements, tensions and open questions to emerge.

“We don’t want to come to an artificial consensus,” he said, while adding that a final summary should be published.