Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Joyless about ‘Amoris Lætitia’

OpinionMiguel De La Torre  |  April 28, 2016

Miguel De La TorreThe Catholic Church, a multi-century institution, moves at glacier speed. Pope Francis’s recent post-synodal apostolic exhortation finally moved the Church into the 20th century. Like his earlier apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (EG), Francis attempts a joyful evangelical call for a renewed encounter with Jesus Christ and Christ’s covenant with humanity. For this, and for his humble pastoral tone, we can be grateful.

Decentralizing solutions to pastoral needs by linking praxis to cultural sensitivities and local needs (AL 3) is an important step away from a centralized hierarchy. And before Baptists start throwing stones, they should recognize that when it comes to family and sexuality, Amoris Lætitia (AL) remains a progressive document.

But for the rest of us who live in the 21st century, the document remains highly problematic because of the way it continues the patriarchal structure of marriage, relegates women to sexist roles, and denies basic human dignity and civil rights to our LGBT brothers and sisters.

Marriage life throughout Amoris Lætitia is depicted and romanticized in a way that only celibate men lacking actual experience can describe. I am keenly aware that I did my best husbandly and parenting philosophizing before I got married and had children. In both apostolic exhortations, the heteronormativity of marriage remains intact. Thus, sex is to be enjoyed in heterosexual marriages blessed by the Church. All other relationships remain sin. Others forms of expressing love and commitment (i.e., same-gender-loving relationships, remarried divorcees, or couples living together) remain in an “imperfect manner” (AL III:78) or an “irregular situation” (AL VIII:296); nevertheless, those engaged in those forms are welcomed and should be tolerated and provided with pastoral guidance so they can see the errors of their way. But these other forms of relationships neither need nor ask for tolerance. They require dignity and full acceptance as being blessed by God.

The Pope may proclaim that “the strength of the family ‘lies in its capacity to love and to teach how to love’” (AL II:53); still, this capacity is limited to heterosexuals whose goal for marriage remains procreation. While sex is not limited to procreation and can be enjoyed for its own sake (a tremendous acknowledgement considering centuries of anti-body and anti-sex attitudes which permeated Christian thought), children nevertheless remain the primary goal of marriage. “The conjugal union is ordered to procreation ‘by its very nature’” (AL III:80).

Because the primary purpose of marriage is children, unions incapable of achieving said goal fall short of nature. “We need to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain stability, but de facto or same-sex unions, for example, may not simply be equated with marriage. No union that is temporary or closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future society” (AL II:52). This obsession with procreation leads to all types of dysfunctional views concerning sexuality. Any sexual act that prevents procreation (same-sex unions, anal sex, oral sex, birth contraceptives) remains outside the realm of acceptable behavior — if not outright sin.

Deeply problematic is the imposition of these views upon those who do not belong to the Church. “Those who work in health care are reminded of the moral duty of conscientious objection” (AL III:83). Good Catholics working at health-care facilities should object to selling birth control because it is contrary to the Pope’s understanding of the purpose of marriage. And while I defend the Pope’s choice concerning control over his own womb, and the womb of all who are Catholic priests, still, it remains disturbing in any society valuing free conscious of all its citizens when he imposes his view on the bodies of others — specifically women who actually have wombs. And yet, with all the celebration of having children, to have them “born outside of wedlock” remains a thing of shame (AL II:45). “Respecting a child’s dignity means affirming his or her need and natural right to have a mother and a father” (AL V:172).

While one should appreciate the one and only bold statement in the defense of children from predatory ministers — “The sexual abuse of children is all the more scandalous when it occurs in places where they ought to be most safe, particularly in families, schools, communities and Christian institutions” (AL II:45) — nevertheless, it is too little, too late. Maybe a future apostolic exhortation dealing with the Church complicity of abused children matched with meaningful praxis, restitution and punishment of abusers might begin to heal this festering wound that prevents joy in too many lives.

Pope Francis boldly recognizes “women’s rights and their participation in public life,” calling for the elimination of “unacceptable customs” (AL II:54) — except, of course, in the Church where women cannot join the priesthood. He subscribes to the Christianization of the ancient honor-shame tradition manifested as the choice between the virgin or the whore, Mary or Eve. Pope Francis’s dualist understanding of women leads to the paternalism found in Evangelii Gaudium where he speaks of the “icon of womenhood” (EG 5:II;284), essentializing women when he “acknowledges the indispensable contribution which women make to society through sensitivity, intuition and other distinctive skill set which they, more than men, tend to possess” (EG 2:II:103). For this reason, women may “wish to study, work, develop their skills and have personal goals”; nonetheless, “we cannot ignore the need that children have for a mother’s presence. … [T]he weakening of this maternal presence with its feminine qualities poses a grave risk to our world” (AL V:173).

Men too are essentialized, for they “play an equally decisive role in family life, particularly with regard to the protection and support of their wives and children” (AL II:55). And rather then thinking of men as the primary caregivers of children, they are instead told: “[to take] on domestic chores or some aspect of raising children does not make him any less masculine or imply failure, irresponsibility or cause for shame” (AL VII:286). Thus husbands’ domain remains protection of family from the outside world, while wives’ domain remains in the home.

Women may be “indispensable,” and “unacceptable customs” need to be eliminated due to their feminine characteristics; nevertheless, they cannot fully participate as man’s equal. Pope Francis may claim that “Mary is more important than the bishop;” nevertheless, he insists that “the reservation of the priesthood to males, as a sign of Christ the spouse … is not a question open to discussion” (EC 2:II:104). Neither Pope nor Church can ever be a symbol of liberation as long as it remains complicit with the oppression of half of the global population, regardless of the flowery compliments about indispensability expressed.

Although it was touching when the Pope met privately with his former student Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man, along with his partner, Iwan Bagus, at the U.S. Vatican Embassy, his views concerning homosexuality remain damning to his former student. Pope Francis best expresses his views on homosexuality when he writes: “Marriage now tends to be viewed as a form of mere emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at will” (EG 2:I:66). For the Pope, “the clear and well-defined presence of both figures, female and male, creates the environment best suited to the growth of the child” (AL V:175). Unfortunately, empirical evidence seems to contradict the Pope’s faith statement. Numerous studies reveal the genders of parents have no impact in raising a healthy, well-adjusted child. But why rely on research and facts when heterosexism provides better faith claims?

Mercy may be paternalistically offered to sinners in a “love the sinner, hate the sin” fashion; but to discuss what exactly is sin remains outside the possibility of discussion. “If someone flaunts an objective sin as if it were part of the Christian ideal, or wants to impose something other than what the Church teaches, he or she can in no way presume to teach or preach to others. … Such a person needs to listen once more to the Gospel message and its call to conversion” (AL VIII: 297). Mercy is offered in the hopes of changing “sinners” so they conform to the ideals of marriage as defined by the Church. “In considering a pastoral approach towards people who have contracted a civil marriage, who are divorced and remarried, or simply living together, the Church has the responsibility of helping them understand the divine pedagogy of grace in their lives and offering them assistance so they can reach the fullness of God’s plan for them” (AL VIII:297).

In spite of my critique of the Pope’s view on the family, I truly respect this Pope’s commitment to the poor and marginalized, as well as his deep pastoral concerns. Believe it or not, he is one of my favorite Popes. Nevertheless, his antiquated views on the family reinforces social and structural oppression, and thus, most be called out. My critique is not an attempt to discredit him and his work, but an attempt to push the discussion toward the relevancy for the 21st century.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:Evangelii GaudiumAmoris LætitiafamilyLGBTSexualityCatholic ChurchPope FrancisMiguel de la Torre
More by
Miguel De La Torre
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Eight months later, there’s renewed interest in Adam Hamilton’s video on why he’ll remain a United Methodist

      News

    • Bob Banks, longtime SBC missions leader, dies at 91

      News

    • What I learned from meeting Martin Luther King in Louisville and Josie in Hopkinsville

      Opinion

    • For every critic of Jesus and John Wayne there are many more positive responses Du Mez says

      News


    Curated

    • ‘He Gets Us’ organizers hope to spend $1 billion to promote Jesus. Will anyone care?

      ‘He Gets Us’ organizers hope to spend $1 billion to promote Jesus. Will anyone care?

    • National Prayer Breakfast breaks from ‘The Family’ with new organization

      National Prayer Breakfast breaks from ‘The Family’ with new organization

    • The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right

      The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right

    • Twitter reinstated white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He lasted 24 hours.

      Twitter reinstated white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He lasted 24 hours.

    Read Next:

    Life post-Roe: Is there middle ground between religious liberty and medical freedom?

    AnalysisMallory Challis

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Faith groups must fight online hate, Interfaith Alliance urges

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Of church cemeteries, pulpit committees, crafts and sweet potato casserole

      OpinionChris Ayers

    • Colorado cake maker back in court, this time for refusing service to a transgender woman

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Of Margie, mountains and ‘El Shaddai’

      OpinionBert Montgomery

    • For every critic of Jesus and John Wayne there are many more positive responses Du Mez says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • What I learned from meeting Martin Luther King in Louisville and Josie in Hopkinsville

      OpinionBill Thurman

    • Bob Banks, longtime SBC missions leader, dies at 91

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • On the baptism of our firstborn

      OpinionEmily Hull McGee

    • Members of Florida church required to sign ‘biblical sexuality’ statement or be removed from membership

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Eight months later, there’s renewed interest in Adam Hamilton’s video on why he’ll remain a United Methodist

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Life post-Roe: Is there middle ground between religious liberty and medical freedom?

      AnalysisMallory Challis

    • Has virtual worship actually harmed Christianity?

      OpinionSara Robb-Scott

    • 165 religious leaders plead with White House to abandon immigrant travel ban

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Boebert babbles about God, Satan and the Second Coming

      AnalysisRodney Kennedy

    • ‘What can we forgive?’: An interview with Matthew Ichihashi Potts on Forgiveness

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Knowing a church’s history on slavery can be a nudge toward redemption, historians say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Los Angeles faces a homeless ‘emergency’ as global warming changes the equation

      AnalysisMallory Challis

    • My father’s faith

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Sandra and Andy Stanley: ‘We’re not perfect parents, but we’ve learned some things along the way’

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • As more Americans delay health care they can’t afford, it’s time for the church to be a light once again

      AnalysisRick Pidcock

    • The apology that never came at Bubba-Doo’s

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • United Methodists on alert for dissidents ‘poaching’ members and pastors

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Trump and his allegedly disloyal white evangelical supporters

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • The other speech Martin Luther King gave at Southern Seminary in 1961

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Faith groups must fight online hate, Interfaith Alliance urges

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Colorado cake maker back in court, this time for refusing service to a transgender woman

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • For every critic of Jesus and John Wayne there are many more positive responses Du Mez says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Bob Banks, longtime SBC missions leader, dies at 91

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Members of Florida church required to sign ‘biblical sexuality’ statement or be removed from membership

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Eight months later, there’s renewed interest in Adam Hamilton’s video on why he’ll remain a United Methodist

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • 165 religious leaders plead with White House to abandon immigrant travel ban

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Knowing a church’s history on slavery can be a nudge toward redemption, historians say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Sandra and Andy Stanley: ‘We’re not perfect parents, but we’ve learned some things along the way’

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • United Methodists on alert for dissidents ‘poaching’ members and pastors

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • The other speech Martin Luther King gave at Southern Seminary in 1961

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Faith-based leaders discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of Biden’s proposed border policies

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • U.S. churches more likely to have adult and youth education programs than interfaith or ecumenical work

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Here’s Johnny! Embattled SBC pastor back in the pulpit and will headline a men’s conference

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Dan Hobbs, early leader of ABP and CBF, dies at 95

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • ‘Public safety ecosystems’ could help replace nation’s broken criminal justice system, evangelical leaders say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Reparations should begin with recognition of human dignity, Delbanco says in 50th annual Jefferson Lecture

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Church of England won’t allow same-sex marriage but may allow a liturgical blessing of civil unions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 1-20-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Class-action suit against Department of Education alleging discrimination in Title IX exemptions dismissed

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Supreme Court will hear former postal employee’s appeal that he shouldn’t have to work on Sundays because he’s a Christian

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • New survey: Republicans and white evangelicals are outliers in fear of immigrants invading U.S.

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Religious liberty advocates applaud Biden administration rollback of Trump policies allowing faith-based discrimination

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • ‘Religicide’ a growing threat worldwide, authors warn

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Of church cemeteries, pulpit committees, crafts and sweet potato casserole

      OpinionChris Ayers

    • Of Margie, mountains and ‘El Shaddai’

      OpinionBert Montgomery

    • What I learned from meeting Martin Luther King in Louisville and Josie in Hopkinsville

      OpinionBill Thurman

    • On the baptism of our firstborn

      OpinionEmily Hull McGee

    • Has virtual worship actually harmed Christianity?

      OpinionSara Robb-Scott

    • ‘What can we forgive?’: An interview with Matthew Ichihashi Potts on Forgiveness

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • My father’s faith

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • The apology that never came at Bubba-Doo’s

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • Trump and his allegedly disloyal white evangelical supporters

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • Doom-scrolling, sourdough starter and three kinds of kin

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Putin needs to be taken down

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • How my eyes were opened to America’s broken immigration system

      OpinionChristian Vaughn

    • Meditating with Buddhists and other Asian lessons

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • The Black resistance tradition and its fight for U.S. democracy

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Five book recommendations on creation stewardship for 2023

      OpinionDon Gordon

    • Queen Elizabeth was a role model for women in faith and leadership

      OpinionChrystal Cowan

    • Two football coaches went up to pray …

      OpinionPatrick Wilson

    • ‘Grief brain’: The three big deficits of grief

      OpinionLaurie Taylor

    • Prayer might not be enough

      OpinionTerry Austin

    • Mending broken pieces and broken lives with kintsugi

      OpinionPhawnda Moore

    • When my church and I let Jesus down: Jesus in the distressing disguise of the homeless

      OpinionChris Ayers

    • What I’m learning as a Maston Scholar: ‘Don’t forget!’

      OpinionAlfa Orellana

    • A world inside a world, spinning around

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Faith and civil rights went together for Martin Luther King

      OpinionRussell Waldrop

    • My love-hate relationship with football

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • ‘He Gets Us’ organizers hope to spend $1 billion to promote Jesus. Will anyone care?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • National Prayer Breakfast breaks from ‘The Family’ with new organization

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Twitter reinstated white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He lasted 24 hours.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In Rare Rebuke, Elaine Chao Calls Out Trump’s Anti-Asian Attacks

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How Southern California helped birth white Christian nationalism

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Extreme Israeli group takes root in US with fundraising bid

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Review: Decolonizing Christianity

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Two Leaders Of The New US House Could Put Baptist Diversity In The News Spotlight

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Making Sweat Feel Spiritual Didn’t Start With SoulCycle

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • White Christian nationalism isn’t pro-life. It’s pro-order.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Stop Using the Bible to Dehumanize Transgender People | Opinion

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Saint, But Also Just A Man — That’s The Glory Of It

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A Houston synagogue is tightening security after a woman broke in twice, damaged a Torah and harassed children

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Islamic paintings of the Prophet Muhammad are an important piece of history – here’s why art historians teach them

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Lutherans ordain first Palestinian woman pastor in Holy Land

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • 2 States Introduce Radical Bills To Prosecute Pregnant People For Abortions

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Flyers coach Tortorella defends Provorov’s Pride boycott

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Dream bigger’: How weekend marches keep advocates’ fight for Roe v. Wade alive on 50th anniversary

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Rinse, Repeat: Should Believers Be Dunked Again?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Meet the real Jewish Republican of color being floated to replace George Santos, the fake one

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Florida Gov. DeSantis leads the GOP’s national charge against public education that includes lessons on race and sexual orientation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians Unite in Support for Apache Fight to Save Oak Flat

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Group of faith leaders sue challenging Missouri abortion law

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Exporting garbage to the nations’: conservative Christian rifts spreading like cracked glass

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS