The Controverted Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia

In the wake of Pope Francis’s promotion of Bishop McElroy, Professor Eduardo Echeverria, author of Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II, has asked us to make available to you the essay comprising the fourth chapter in the revised edition of his book. He comments:

I agree with theologian Larry Chapp on the significance of Amoris Laetitia for understanding why Bishop McElroy was promoted to the red hat. The bishop has been an “unabashed supporter of Amoris Laetitia.” This promotion is the “pope’s way of signaling that McElroy’s approach to the moral theological principles of Amoris is correct.”

This essay from the revised and expanded, second edition of my book, Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II critically discusses the moral theological principles of chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’s 2016 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. I show that the troublesome arguments of his chapter 8 are both pastoral and moral theological. I also show that despite Pope Francis’ claims to the contrary, his moral theology is neither Thomistic nor does it reflect a “hermeneutic of the Church,” as Francis puts it, “always in continuity (without ruptures), yet always maturing.” My analysis of Amoris Laetitia will help the reader to understand what is wrong with the pope’s moral reasoning.

Read Professor Echeverria’s essay »

Does Francis Really Approve of Homosexuality?

Pope FrancisIn May 2018 news headlines around the world went something like this: Pope Francis tells gay man ‘God made you like this and sexuality does not matter.’ The Pope’s comments were immediately embraced by the LGBT community and downplayed by the Vatican which neither confirmed nor denied the remarks because the Vatican policy is not to comment on the pope’s private conversations. Yet the media raged on and confusion was the word of the day.

We were reminded that Dr. Robert Royal wrote the Foreword to Eduardo Echeverria’s book Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II, published by us almost exactly 3 years earlier in March, 2015. It bears repeating today. Here’s Dr. Royal’s opening paragraph…

“Of the making of books there is no end, as was already evident millennia ago and is even more so today. Given the sheer tidal wave of texts of all sorts amid which we live today, most current books need to offer some justification—if not an outright apology—for why they were written. This very valuable volume is not one of them. Shortly after the worldwide enthusiasm that met the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy, with the name Pope Francis, there followed what can only be called an equally global confusion about various things that he has said and done. Non-Catholics and even many Catholics believe he is a pope of “rupture,” one about to jettison the demanding Catholic moral tradition, especially on sexual matters. Others see him as a figure of mercy and compassion who is perhaps artless, at times, in his spontaneous, off-the-cuff remarks, but deeply committed to the traditional doctrines. Papa Bergoglio himself has expressed surprise on several occasions that people are confused by what he’s said, done, and written—pointing to what he thinks is a clear record. But people are confused”

The Foreword goes on to point out that Professor Echeverria’s “careful study of the pope’s record and insights” could not be more welcome, and reminds us of the Pope’s own words after his notorious—and misunderstood—remarks: “Who am I to judge?”

“My attitude toward the world should be fundamentally the same as toward my own sins, toward the disordered and sinful roots in myself: keen awareness and aversion! From this attitude alone springs the desire for conversion. [This], in turn, over time, forges in us the faculty that is so solidly Christian: the capacity to judge. The “yes, yes… no, no” [Matt 5:37] that Jesus teaches us implies a spiritual maturity that rescues us from the superficiality of the foolish heart. A Christian needs to know what can be accepted and what must be condemned [1 Thess 5:21-22]. We cannot sit down and “dialogue” with the enemy of our salvation: we need to meet him head on, ready to combat his every intention. [Emphasis added.]”

cover: Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II

Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II

This “essential book” offers a deep glimpse into Francis’s firmness along with his tenderness and is recommended in order to fully understand him.

“Eduardo Echeverria, one of the liveliest and most insightful thinkers practicing the ancient craft of theology in the United States today, sheds new light on the Catholic Church and Pope Francis at this challenging moment in history.” —George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

Read other endorsements and view a sample chapter »
Purchase the E-Book »
Purchase Softcover Book »

Quiet Time Calls For a Book

On the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle and for four consecutive Sundays thereafter, as daylight fades more quickly and the hush of pending winter is upon us—let us ponder what God has in store for us to learn through books.

Advent is a reminder of life’s ebbs and flows. A time to prepare our minds, hearts and souls for His coming. We at Lectio Publishing want to do a small part by offering a selection of books chosen specifically to appeal to our inner spirituality or our passion to know all there is to know about God—and do it for 20% less, regardless of a title’s time on the market.

romero and grande coverRomero & Grande, Companions on the Journey takes you on a personal journey to El Salvador where Archbishop Oscar Romero and his friend Fr. Rutilio Grande were gunned down because they spoke up for the poor and vulnerable. A must-read for those interested in Hispanic/Latino Theology!
Author: Salvadoran-born Ana María Pineda, R.S.M., 200 pages, published May 2016.
Learn more »

Resurrection Power! coverResurrection Power! Spiritual Solutions for an Anxious Age is inspired by timeless truths from philosophy, theology, psychology and law—yet is entirely practical in nature. It’s a victorious and joyful journey that doesn’t relieve us of all pain or remove the cause of suffering from our lives, but teaches us how we can rise above our daily problems drawing on the power of the Resurrection.
Author: Fr. Robert M. Garrity, 236 pages, published February 2016. Learn more »

Other books on sale that may interest you…
Pope Francis, The Legacy of Vatican II by Eduardo J. Echeverria Learn more »

Evangelization coverEvangelization: Building and Rebuilding the Kingdom; Issues of Language, Culture and Conversion by Fr. Leon F. Strieder. Learn more »

The Creed: the Faith That Moves EvolutionThe Creed, the Faith That Moves Evolution by Fr. Donald C. Maldari, S.J. Learn more »

More books…

DETAILS: All titles offered by Lectio Publishing are 20% off from now through Christmas Sunday, December 25, 2016 when you order directly from the Publisher. Go here to make your selection. This Advent discount is automatically applied in your cart. Multiple book orders apply.

Bookstores should contact Lectio’s Textbook Adoption Team for special rates. (772) 932-7969.