Issue 24/1 (2018)

Two years ago, Pope Francis published his post-synodal exhortation Amoris laetitia (AL) on the “joy of love” in marriage and family relations. Very few church documents have received such interest and continued attention. What we may overlook in this discussion, however, is that AL has had a more complex reception than what is depicted in the media. Indeed, its teaching has begun to trickle down to and shape church life on various levels. One may think here of the, admittedly few, courageous pastoral guidelines issued by some bishops’ conferences. More importantly, numerous local family ministry offices have developed programmes and tools based on AL which allow them to address couples and families in a fresh way. One should not forget either the many anonymous faithful who have found in the Pope’s empowering approach new hope for their own faith and relational lives. But AL is also gradually (re)shaping the way theology is being taught and researched in academic circles, as all the contributions to this issue in one way or another testify to.

With contributions by Martin M. Lintner, Christoph Hausladen, Tim Zeelen, Kristina Kieslinger, Randall Woodad, Agnieszka Anna Ukleja, Scaria Kanniyakonil.

Table of Contents