AMORIS LAETITIA IN A CLERICALIST CULTURE

A CASE OF THE PHILIPPINE CHURCH

Authors

  • Rhoderick John S Abellanosa Sacred Heart School, Ateneo de Cebu

Keywords:

Church Hierarchy, Clericalism, Pastoral Ministry, Transparency

Abstract

Amoris Laetitia (henceforth AL) has been the subject of discussion among supporters and critics alike. Apparently, and especially within the Philippine context, there is not much discussion about its success as a pastoral thrust that seeks to journey with persons who are broken either as individuals or as families. If read side by side with Evangelii Gaudium and other writings of Pope Francis, it is clear that AL‘s pastoral thrust promotes the Gospel of Mercy in the sphere of family life and sexuality. It is in line with the Church‘s need to carry out internal reforms and thus it addresses the growing concern of secularization. This paper contends that for the Church to truly journey with those who need its pastoral care, as envisioned by AL, it has to address the problem of clericalism. The case of the Philippine Church is used to elaborate the contention that more than just the profound pastoral pronouncements of AL, there must be changes within the Church‘s system, and primarily this means serious efforts to address clericalism.

Author Biography

Rhoderick John S Abellanosa, Sacred Heart School, Ateneo de Cebu

Rhoderick John S. Abellanosa is the Social Involvement Coordinator of Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu. His areas of interest include Church and State Relations, the Political Dimensions of Poverty and Political Thought. He has master‘s degrees in philosophy and political science from the University of San Carlos. He is co-author of the book, A Conversation about Life: Points of View on Reproductive Health, Claretian Publications, 2014. Email: rhoderickjohn_abellanosa@yahoo.com

References

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Familiaris Consortio

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Published

2017-03-31

How to Cite

Abellanosa, R. J. S. (2017). AMORIS LAETITIA IN A CLERICALIST CULTURE: A CASE OF THE PHILIPPINE CHURCH. Asian Horizons, 11(01), 183–196. Retrieved from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/2577