Pope Francis鈥� eagerly awaited new document on marriage and family makes no fundamental changes to the Catholic Church鈥檚 doctrine on divorce, birth control and homosexuality.
But it calls for a more compassionate towards "imperfect" Catholics, and emphasizes that an individual鈥檚 conscience should guide their family decisions -- not black and white rules.
The Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Thomas Collins, called the document a 鈥渧ery concrete and very practical鈥� guideline for Catholics, aimed at helping them apply their faith to everyday situations.
鈥淗e takes the abstract鈥� and he puts it in a very homey language,鈥� Collins told 麻豆影视 Channel on Friday.
Here鈥檚 a look at some of the highlights from :
ROLE OF THE CHURCH
Pope Francis called for a Church that was less rigid and more compassionate towards "imperfect" Catholics, such as those who divorce, saying the church must no longer sit in judgment and "throw stones" against those who fail to live up to its ideals.
"No one can be condemned forever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel! Here I am not speaking only of the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in whatever situation they find themselves," he said.
"We have been called to form consciences, not replace to them," he said.
REMARRIAGE
While stressing that 鈥渄ivorce is an evil and the increasing number of divorces is very troubling,鈥� Pope Francis also said divorced and remarried Catholics need to be 鈥渕ore fully integrated鈥� into the Church.
He said divorced Catholics who have entered into new unions, whether through cohabitation or civil marriage, 鈥渟hould be made to feel part of the church鈥� and 鈥渆ncouraged to participate in the life of the community.鈥�
But he said he could "not provide a new set of general rules ... applicable to all cases,鈥� on whether divorced parishioners should receive holy communion and partake in 鈥渇uller participation in the life of the Church.鈥�
Instead, he called on Catholics to work together with their priests to reflect on what God is asking of them and 鈥渉elp them understand their situation according to the teaching of the Church.鈥�
BIRTH CONTROL
Without specifically addressing birth control methods, Francis said parents should remember that 鈥渃hildren are a gift,鈥� and that it shouldn鈥檛 matter whether a new baby is 鈥渃onvenient 鈥渙r fits into parents鈥� 鈥減lans and apsirations.鈥�
He said for parents who do not feel ready for a child or another member of the family, 鈥渢hey should ask the Lord to heal and strengthen them to accept their child fully and wholeheartedly.鈥�
He also praised large families as 鈥渁 joy for the Church鈥� and 鈥渁n expression of the fruitfulness of love,鈥� declared that adoption and foster parenting are 鈥渁 very generous way to become parents,鈥� but called surrogacy 鈥渢he exploitation and commercialization of the female body.鈥�
ABORTION
Francis strenuously reaffirmed the Church鈥檚 rejection of abortion, calling it "horrendous" to reject and destroy life.
鈥淪o great is the value of a human life, and so inalienable the right to life of an innocent child growing in the mother鈥檚 womb, that no alleged right to one鈥檚 own body can justify a decision to terminate that life,鈥� he said.
GAY MARRIAGE
The document reaffirmed the Church鈥檚 position that every person, 鈥渞egardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration.鈥�
Nevertheless, Francis advised pastoral care for 鈥減eople with same-sex attraction,鈥� as well as their families, to help them 鈥渦nderstand and fully carry out God鈥檚 will in their lives.鈥�
He also reiterated the Church鈥檚 rejection of gay marriage, saying there are 鈥渁bsolutely no grounds鈥� for considering such unions to be similar to 鈥淕od鈥檚 plan for marriage and family.鈥�
FEMINISM
Pope Francis stressed that the belief that feminism is to blame for the crisis in families today is both untrue and 鈥渁 form of male chauvinism.
鈥淭he equal dignity of men and women makes us rejoice to see old forms of discrimination disappear,鈥� he said, but lamented the fact that many women lack equal access to 鈥渄ignified work鈥� and decision-making roles of
He added that 鈥渕others are the strongest antidote to the spread of self-centred individualism,鈥� but lamented the 鈥渨eakening鈥� of the value of motherhood.
鈥淚 certainly value feminism, but one that does not demand uniformity or negate motherhood,鈥� he said.
He also condemned the verbal, physical and sexual violence many women endure in marriages, and said that 鈥渆very form of sexual submission must be clearly rejected. 鈥�
Finally, he called the practice of genital mutilation "reprehensible.鈥�
