VATICAN CITY, Holy See — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday commended a landmark text by his predecessor, Pope Francis, addressing the pastoral care of divorced and remarried Catholics, and convened bishops to discuss the Church’s approach to family life.
Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), allowed divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive communion on a case-by-case basis, a move that sparked intense debate within the Church. Traditional teaching holds that such individuals are living in sin and cannot receive the sacraments, angering some conservative factions.
On the 10th anniversary of the text, Pope Leo called it “a luminous message of hope concerning conjugal love and family life.” He also summoned heads of bishops’ conferences worldwide to Rome in October for a period of “mutual listening” to discuss potential measures for supporting families.
“Our era is marked by rapid changes which make it necessary, even more than ten years ago, to give particular pastoral attention to families,” Leo wrote in a message published by the Vatican.
Francis’ efforts to modernize the Church and make it more inclusive drew criticism from traditionalists, with four conservative cardinals accusing him of creating confusion. Since his election, Leo XIV has largely maintained his predecessor’s pastoral approach, while emphasizing a more institutional leadership style.