Invoking the Hidden Resilience of Vulnerable Love the Fundamental Aspects for an Ethics of Growth in the Light of Pope Francis’ “Logic of Pastoral Mercy and Discernment” in Amoris Laetitia

Abstract

Pope Francis has elucidated a definitive direction in his exhortation, The Joy of Love (2016), following the dual synods on marriage and family held in 2014 and 2015. With this, he advances a long-standing process of evolution toward a tentative ‘conclusion.’ The process commenced with Casti Connubii (1930) and persisted — not without challenges, complex twists, and turns — through Gaudium et Spes (1965) of Vatican II, Humanae Vitae (1968), Familiaris Consortio (1981), and the ‘theology of the body’ of John Paul II (1979-1984). Nonetheless, substantial work remains to be undertaken, particularly concerning sexual difference and homosexual commitments, and this ongoing process is unlikely to reach finality. The exhortation presents a dual challenge: firstly, to assess and deepen Christian reflections on marriage and family; secondly, to scrutinize the issues posed by so-called “irregular” forms of relationships, such as pre- and non-marital cohabitation, civil marriage, remarriage following divorce, or new relationships lacking legal recognition (AL, 53, 78, 293). Both challenges are addressed in this discourse, with an emphasis on cultivating an ethics of growth and discernment as a manifestation of what Pope Francis terms the “logic of pastoral mercy” (AL, 307-312), initially concerning marriage itself, but also, and notably, regarding various forms of relationships and cohabitations that either do not, or no longer, align with the bonds of marriage.