Church renews commitment to families at conclusion of ‘Amoris laetitia’ meeting

By Deborah Castellano Lubov and Edoardo Giribaldi

The ecclesial encounter “Ten Years After Amoris laetitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with Families Today,” convened by Pope Leo XIV to mark the tenth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation, concluded at the Vatican on Wednesday, 14 October.

The gathering brought together the presidents of Bishops’ Conferences, the heads of the Eastern Churches, married couples and experts to reflect on how the Church can better accompany families today.

The Holy Father participated in the meeting at the Monday morning session, ahead of his surgery on 13 October.

On Wednesday evening, the Vatican released a letter Pope Leo had written to the meeting’s participants, in which he said he would review the fruits of their work and discussions and offer his own reflections in due course.

In the letter, Pope Leo wrote: “It is my hope that families will always be active participants in the life and mission of your local Churches, and that they will help you to discern the paths ahead.”

The speakers at the evening press conference were Cardinal Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Archbishop Charles Jude Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta; Reverend Professor Stanislaus Chu Ilo, Professor at DePaul University in Chicago; Reverend Father Giacomo Costa, S.J., consultor of the General Secretariat of the Synod, responsible for methodology; Monsignor Philippe Bordeyne, Dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences and coordinator of experts; and married couple Solange Gregory Schila and Alisson Roberto Schila from Brazil.

Archbishop Scicluna: Welcoming families as they are and leading them to Christ

Archbishop Scicluna expressed his gratitude for the experience, saying he would return to Malta the following day grateful for the opportunity to listen to so many of his brother bishops, as well as families and laypeople who were part of the gathering. He also thanked Pope Leo for convening the meeting.

“What I also bring with me from this meeting,” the Archbishop of Malta said, ” is a renewed commitment to put the family at the centre of the Church’s pastoral mission.”

Reflecting on the Apostolic Exhortation, published ten years ago, Archbishop Scicluna said Amoris laetitia “provoked an invitation for pastoral conversion, an attitude of listening to families before judging, and also discerning situations with an open heart.”

He said it also fostered an attitude of “seeking the will of God but also facilitating the meeting with God’s mercy, embracing people, finding them where they are and leading them to meet Jesus as Saviour.”

He called this “the treasure” that Amoris laetitia brought to the Church, adding that, ten years later, it remains a fresh document that needs to be rediscovered.”

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“I think that in a world which is being overtaken by robots and anonymity and solitude,” Archbishop Scicluna stressed, “the family has a prophetic role not only in society but for humanity’s future.”

Overview of recent discussions

Father Giacomo Costa opened the press conference by describing the atmosphere of the days of discussion, which took place in spiritual closeness to the Pope following his surgery. He also spoke of the participants’ gratitude for the letter the Pope had sent them.

The priest described the Meeting’s work as “intense” but constructive, particularly in the exchange of different perspectives.

He noted that among the topics addressed was the importance of providing spiritual and practical support in situations of domestic violence and abuse, and recalled that the participants insisted that such assistance must be “timely” and pay particular attention to protecting children and vulnerable people.

Participants, he said, also highlighted the need to reduce the stigma that can accompany seeking help in times of difficulty, and drew attention to the important role that families ought to play in the formation of priests.

Father Costa next explained that the final part of the meeting was devoted to presenting the synthesis report, followed by discussions first in small groups and then in plenary session.

He observed that the report was recognised as a faithful reflection of the discussions, although some constructive observations were made to further emphasise its “missionary dimension.”

Finally, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, brought the meeting to a close by highlighting the importance of evaluating and receiving the teaching of Amoris laetitia.

The Synthesis Document

In presenting the key themes of the meeting’s synthesis report, Monsignor Philippe Bordeyne explained that the discussions began with listening and led to a shared reflection on the issues that emerged.

Among the clearest points of convergence, he said, was “the accelerating pace of change” affecting families, marriage and the customs associated with it in countries around the world over the past ten years.

One of the first topics addressed, he noted, was fragility, a central concept in Amoris laetitia and the focus of Chapter Eight of the Apostolic Exhortation.

Another area of reflection concerned social and economic changes and their impact on families. To address these transformations, Monsignor Bordeyne stressed, the Church draws on its Social Doctrine, which Pope Leo XIV has described not as a “magic wand,” but as a “living tradition that prepares us to find new answers to new questions.”

The discussions unfolded with an awareness that the Church is called to engage with human changes and developments, including in matters of married life and sexuality. This, he noted, requires a “clear-eyed view” of reality which, despite being challenged by ongoing transformations, remains animated by hope.

The discussions also highlighted the need to foster closeness and “mutual learning” between families and the Church, two realities which, as participants observed, “resemble one another.” The primary task of pastors, he said the participants reiterated, is not to judge families, but to listen to them.

Talking little steps 

To illustrate, Monsignor Bordeyne recounted the example of a priest who had been unable to resolve the problem of a family struggling with excessive mobile phone use during meals. Listening, however, had changed the way the difficulty was approached.

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He said that when the family returned to the priest a few days later, they told him, “We still have the same problem, but we are trying to live with it more lightly.”

The discussions also touched on issues that are understood differently in different parts of the world, including cohabitation among couples. “When two young people decide to marry, they become, within their own generation, agents of the transformations of their time,” Monsignor Bordeyne said.

Cardinal Herrera: We must accompany families

Drawing on the discussions held at the Vatican in recent days, Cardinal Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera identified four characteristics of family life: prayer, communion, formation and mission.

The Cardinal Archbishop of Guayaquil underscored that the common thread is accompaniment, which should be fostered not only in the settings where individuals carry out their work, but for the benefit of the entire Church.

This idea was echoed in the testimonies of Solange Gregory Schila and Alisson Roberto Schila, who recounted how an approach attentive not only to families’ vulnerabilities but also to their resources and strengths had deepened their “sense of belonging to the Church.”

Professor Stanislaus Chu Ilo, research professor at the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University in Chicago, shared his main takeaways from the meeting with Vatican News.

“I take back with me the joy of belonging to a Church that cares about the wounds and brokenness in people’s lives. Not with a view to papering over them or quickly solving them. I think this gathering opened my eyes to the fact that we are staying longer with the wounds. Sometimes people want a quick solution, but here I see a Church that is staying with the wounds to touch them, like Thomas touched the wounded side of Jesus, and then there was a transformation.”

He also stressed the need to recognise that everyone has a story and to accompany people in whatever circumstances they may find themselves.

Recommendations for accompanying families when they feel fragile

Asked how this work of accompaniment could be put into practice, Professor Chu Ilo offered several recommendations.

“First of all, every parish and every diocese should have a marriage and family life ministry. The bishop from the Philippines told us about the mission stations. You know, sometimes people are waiting in the Church for people to come. But now it is the Church that goes to families, the Church that goes to the existential peripheries of life, rather than waiting for people to be in crisis and then come to the Church for a solution. It is a Church of accompaniment.

“And accompaniment,” he added, “requires working side by side with people at every stage of their lives. That’s what Pope Leo asked of us at the beginning of this assembly.”

Professor Chu Ilo recalled that Pope Leo had asked participants: “What kind of Church will people find when they feel fragile?”

“I think it is that kind of Church that I saw during these days,” he said, namely, “a Church that stays with people’s wounds.”