Warsaw, Poland, Jun 12, 2018 / 02:04 am
Pope Francis' thought on the family reveals the importance of "tenderness and closeness" in pastoral ministry and should be read in the spirit of continuity with previous popes, the Polish bishops said in their pastoral guidelines for Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia.
When read in this spirit, Amoris laetitia "not only includes, but above all, completes and updates the previous statements of the Church's Magisterium on marriage and the family," the Polish Bishops' Conference said in guidelines they adopted June 8 at their plenary assembly.
The Polish bishops said the pope's exhortation is "an expression of his concern for the good health of marital love in the family."
While debate over the reception of Holy Communion by the divorced-and-remarried has dominated some discussions of the exhortation, the Polish bishops' conference press office said the guidelines document "does not address the issue of Holy Communion for people living in non-sacramental relationships."