Two years after he began consultations with high-level church officials and gathered information from thousands of churches around the world, Pope Francis has released a 265-page apostolic exhortation titled The Joy of Love in which he addresses issues such as family life, abortion, contraception, gay marriages, single parenting and divorcees within the church.
Speaking during a mid-morning press conference to present the “landmark” document at Archbishop’s House, St Ann’s, yesterday, Archbishop Joseph Harris said it was evident that in compiling the document the head of the Vatican had “recognised that not everybody is at the same spot in life and that people make different journeys.”
Archbishop Harris was accompanied by Fr Clyde Harvey and Executive Co-ordinator of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, Tricia Syms, as the trio elaborated about issues affecting family life in today’s society.
Confirming that it has been more than 20 years since the Church released any such document, Harvey said the Pope had advised each country to seek solutions better suited to its culture and were sensitive to the traditions and needs of the local population.
On the issue of family life, he said more work needed to be done to educate the next generation as he outlined the role of the church in helping persons to achieve this.
In the long-awaited document, Pope Francis said gays and lesbians deserve protection from “unjust discrimination” but he upheld the church’s teaching that marriage should be between a man and a woman only.
Asked about how the local archdiocese felt about the LGBT community, Harvey said, “We cannot hide our heads in the sand when it comes to the LGBT community. It is part of the society in which we live.”
Repeating the pope’s statements, Harvey added that while marriage could be defined as the union between a heterosexual couple, “Any human relationship based on mutual love and respect must be honoured.”
Quoting excerpts from throughout the document pertaining to family life, sexual desire, procreation, abortion, parenting and marriage, Harvey anticipated that the work ahead for local churches would not be without its challenges.
However, he is confident that it can be done and has promised that a more detailed synopsis of the document would be forthcoming within the next week.
The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, which is tasked with the responsibility of educating persons about family life and the values that need to be incorporated into daily living, is also expected to increase and promote such programmes.
On the issue of teenage pregnancy, Harvey said for many persons today, it was simply a physical act.
Asked how this could be changed, he said, “The whole society has an obligation to raise the bar about what sexual intercourse is all about. We have to raise the bar about sexual intercourse and human relationships and if we can do that, we may have to worry less about teenage pregnancy.”
Archbishop Harris added, “It is important to understand that until we get back to critical thinking, in which we teach our young people not just to respond to stimuli but to think through things, we have a little problem.”