Current Developments Concerning Sensus Fdelium in Moral Theology: Divorce and Remarriage as Test Case

Abstract

The difficulties and challenges faced by the synod on Family to arrive at a convincing and conclusive statement was partly due to the inability of the Church to pay adequate attention, both theologically and practically, to what sensus fidelium means in the real-life situations of the faithful. Therefore, in this article we propose an alternative by retrieving the concept of sensus fidelium (the sense of the faithful') by enlarging its scope to the field of moral theology in the recent discussions. The much-debated issue of divorce and remarriage is taken as a test case to explore concretely the place of sensus fidelium in the moral issues facing the faithful today. This paper will examine the following questions: (1) How do moral theologians reconceptualize sensus fidelium in the practical life of the faithful? (ü) How is the sensus fidelium related to God's self-revelation, human experience, moral conscience and the culture in the life of the faithful? (iii) What is the role of the magisterium in relation to the sensus fidelium? (iv) What do empirical surveys teach us about sensus fidelium?