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Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro says the Pope’s refusal to directly answer the questions put to him by four cardinals is emblematic of how Francis effects change in the Catholic Church: he doesn’t deal in the doctrinal nitty-gritty but goes straight to the people — via his priests — regardless of the rules.
In an op-ed Spadaro,defended Francis from the criticism that he had not answered the quetions put to him by 4 cardinals.
“I think that Amoris Laetitia has created an open and interesting debate within the Catholic Church thanks to Francis, a Pope who never blocks dialogue, if it is loyal and motivated by the good of the Church.”
Pope Francis has responded to the letters indirectly. He has criticised “a certain legalism” in the response to his document.
“Some continue not to understand,” he said in an interview November 17 with the Italian Catholic newspaper, Avvenire. “Think about certain responses to Amoris Laetitia — it’s either black or white, even though it’s in the flow of life that one must discern.”
But the cardinals’ letter, called a dubia, is an official request for a Yes or No answer from the Pope.
Not having received a such a direct response the cardinals published their letter on various Catholic news sites.
The questions focus particularly on the issue of giving communion to divorced and remarried Catholics, which footnote (#351) in Amoris Laetitia says could be allowed “in certain cases.”
Spadaro said the questions had already raised during the Synod, “where the dialogue was deep, extensive and most of all, frank.”
Amoris Laetitia is only the mature fruit of Francis’ reflection after listening to everyone and reading the Synod’s final document.
It is the result of a Synod and not just a personal idea of the Pontiff, as some might think.
Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the signers of the letter, told the National Catholic Register that if Francis does not answer, he will spearhead a “formal act of correction” of the Pontiff — something that has never happened for 100s of years.
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