Cathal Barry
Archbishop Eamon Martin has praised Pope Francis’ new document on the family as being “in tune with the concrete realities of everyday life as lived by married couples and families”.
Welcoming the publication of the Pope’s new Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love: On Love in the Family), the Archbishop of Armagh said “the document has a warm, distinctive and familiar style that speaks to the reality of ordinary life”.
“It is very much in tune with the concrete realities of everyday life as lived by married couples and families. The document reflects the vision of Pope Francis in that we cannot resort to doctrine without considering the complexities of married life,” Dr Martin said.
Bishop Kevin Doran described the document as a “letter of encouragement” to the whole Church on the theme of love in the family.
“As most people will expect, there are no fundamental changes in the essential teaching of the Church about marriage, because that is rooted in natural law and in the teaching of Jesus himself. What is very noticeable, however, is the strongly pastoral tone of the letter,” Dr Doran said.
“The focus is on how the Church can support men and women in living the commitments of their marriage and especially how the Church can walk with them in difficult moments,” he added.
Noting that the content of the document was “challenging”, Archbishop Eamon said Pope Francis was calling Catholics “to reflect on how we live our lives”.
“The Church is now asked to go out and bring the Gospel to where people are at in their lives, this is in line with Pope Francis’ agenda which encourages every Catholic to be a missionary for the faith.
“As a Church we are used to inviting people to come to us, but from today Pope Francis urges us to reach out and offer support, at a local level, for those preparing for marriage and for those on the journey of married life,” he said.