Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley said Friday he expects Pope Francis' major proclamation on family life to "bear great fruit" but cautioned that "Amoris Laetitia" is a complex theological document that needs careful study by the faithful.
"This is a document that demands a careful reading and reflection from Catholics everywhere, and it is sure to bear great fruit,'' O'Malley said in a statement released Friday by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, which he leads. "Pope Francis shows himself to be the gentle, merciful pastor who urges us all to take the time to meditate on the importance of families.''
The Globe reported Friday that in the proclamation released by the Vatican, Pope Francis reaffirmed the church's teaching that marriage is indissoluble, but also said the church should adopt a more flexible approach to dealing with divorced and remarried couples.
To Catholic leaders, the document is known as an "apostolic exhortation." The document's title, "Amoris Laetitia," is Latin for "The Joy of Love.'' The document is 254 pages long and covers a wide range of issues, including extreme poverty, hunger and homelessness, as well as the wealthy.
Francis stopped short of changing church doctrine on other major topics including homosexuality, gay marriage, and contraception, the Globe reported.
O'Malley took note in his statement of the size of the document - it is 325 paragraphs long - and that Francis himself has called for a careful parsing of its meaning. "It is not intended to be read and implemented too hastily,'' O'Malley wrote.
Still, overall, O'Malley wrote, the pontiff has sent a powerful, positive message during what Catholics consider the "Jubilee Year of Mercy.''
"Amoris Laetitia is a joyful invitation for families to live the works of mercy and to receive the gift of God's healing where there is sin and brokenness,'' O'Malley wrote. "It is my fervent desire that we will read Amoris Laetitia patiently and carefully, so as to benefit from the richness of its teaching.''
John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe.