Pope Francis has said the bishops who have criticised Amoris Laetitia suffer from a “certain legalism which can be ideological”.
His comments came after a group of four cardinals wrote him a letter seeking clarification over some of the teachings in the apostolic exhortation.
“Some, as with certain responses to Amoris Laetitia, persist in seeing only white or black, when rather one ought to discern in the flow of life,” Francis told the Italian Catholic daily Avvenire.
What commentators are saying
Edward Pentin, correspondent for the National Catholic Register, claimed that “sources within Santa Marta” said the Pope was “not happy at all” and was “boiling with rage” at the four cardinals’ public request for clarification – a claim denied by a papal adviser.
He suggested that tensions between Francis and the cardinals may have contributed to the Pope deciding not to hold a pre-consistory meeting with the College of Cardinals. This is the first time the Pontiff has skipped such a meeting.
Fr Hugh Somerville-Knapman, meanwhile, wrote that if the cancelled meeting was related to the Amoris row, it suggested that the Pope, for all his enthusiasm for collegiality, was also happy to override it if necessary.
At CruxNow.com John Allen wrote that the Pope’s response to criticism seemed to be to “diagnose the psychology that leads people to express negative opinions” rather than crack heads – that is, to put his critics “not on the rack, but on the couch”. He suggested that the approach was unlikely to change anyone’s mind.
Allen wrote: “Nobody likes to be told they’ve got emotional problems, and [Pope Francis] also leaves himself open to the charge of skirting the merits of the debate.”
The Pope’s later comments over the weekend may also be seen as a response to the furore. The “growing animosity between peoples” is found even “among us, within our communities, our priests, our meetings,” the Pope told the newly created cardinals. “We need to take care lest such attitudes find a place in our hearts,” he said.
The most overlooked story of the week
✣ Peer escapes ambush by Islamist militants
What happened?
The prominent religious freedom campaigner Baroness Caroline Cox narrowly escaped an attack by an Islamist militia in Nigeria last week. She had been visiting persecuted Christians in Plateau state. Shortly after she left one village, armed Hausa Fulani arrived and shot at a wedding party in an attack seen as being meant for her delegation.
Why was it under-reported?
Atrocities by Hausa Fulani herdsmen have yet to catch the attention of the world’s media. Perhaps one reason is there is no international dimension – they are not allied to jihadists elsewhere or fomenting terror in the West. Their actions are often overshadowed by the atrocities of Boko Haram. Yet the Hausa Fulani are just as dangerous as the better-known group. According to World Watch Monitor, more than 300 people have been murdered by the militants in the last five months alone and thousands more have been displaced.
What will happen next?
Although shaken by the attacks, Baroness Cox said her main concern was for the Christians living in northern Nigeria who deal with persecution on a daily basis. She told Global Christian News: “We count it a privilege to visit with Christians who are on the frontline facing all kinds of challenges every day … We thank you for holding the frontline of faith and freedom for the rest of the world.” A day earlier, in neighbouring Kaduna state, 35 people were killed, including young children, and four villages were torched.
✣The week ahead
Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year, starts on Sunday. It may also be a time when some priests begin to introduce ad orientem worship (facing east) at some Masses. Cardinal Robert Sarah, head of the Vatican’s liturgy department, suggested that Advent would be a good time to start the practice. Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon has asked his priests to try it.
The pacific island of Guam gains a coadjutor bishop this week. Archbishop Michael Byrnes arrives on Wednesday to stand in for Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who is facing abuse allegations. He said his “first job is to listen”.
Farm Street Church will commemorate World Aids Day on Thursday. The Jesuit church is one of several London venues which will take turns to display the UK Aids Memorial Quilt. The quilt is made up of more than 300 individual panels, each of them created to commemorate a friend or family member who has died from the disease.
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