...and a train through glorious mountain scenery to Baden, for a conference at the International Theological Institute., discussing Papa Francis' new Exhortation Amoris Laetitia...
The Exhortation is a good read, a clear message affirming the beauty of marriage between a man and a woman, the central importance of fatherhood and motherhood - and the difference between the two - the joy of family life, the glory of the gift of children, the need to honour and respect our parents and to give special honour to the elderly, and more...and more...there is good material on the importance of helping young people to prepare for marriage, on the family as a true community embracing in-laws and aunts and uncles and so on, there is joyful emphasis on how families must protect and cherish the young, and a strong message on why some current forms of sex education are so wrong...and there is a whole wide vision of what is really meant by family and human dignity... homosexual unions are specifically excluded as absolutely in no way analgous to marriage...kindness and goodwill are emphasised...there is a vision of the whole human community and how we must all help one another...
And, no, it doesn't say that remmarriage after divorce is acceptable to the Church or that people in such unions should go to Communion. So those who are poring over it desperately trying to announce that the Pope is about the initiate changes in Church teaching should stop wasting their time.
At the ITI we'll be hearing from Cardinal Christoph Schonnborn tomorrow - he is Grand Chancellor of the Institute and is flying here straight from Rome to be with us...
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