{"id":15423,"date":"2018-01-29T15:26:58","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T19:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=15423"},"modified":"2018-01-29T15:42:08","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T19:42:08","slug":"pope-francis-pro-marriage-contra-marital-skepticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2018\/01\/pope-francis-pro-marriage-contra-marital-skepticism.html","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis: Pro-Marriage & Contra “Marital Skepticism”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Guest Post by Canonist Pete Vere<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"CohabitationPoll\"<\/p>\n

We must help revive the consciences of Catholic young people towards marriage and family.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Oh. My. Goodness! The Holy Father\u2019s strategy behind Amoris Laetitia<\/em> suddenly makes sense. And it takes Jesuit cunning to a new level\u2013namely that of the Pope\u2019s universal appeal as a Christian leader.<\/p>\n

Zenit just published Pope Francis\u2019s 2018 address to the Roman Rota<\/a>. This is an annual tradition anticipated by canonists each January as it helps us better understand and interpret canon law according to the mind of the Supreme Legislator.<\/p>\n

Here are the two passages that most stand out to me as a canonist, a pro-life Catholic writer, and a parish catechist with particular focus on marriage and family:<\/p>\n

\n

A continuous experience of faith, hope and charity is all the more necessary so that young people may again decide, with a sure and serene conscience, that conjugal union open to the gift of children is great joy for God, for the Church, for humanity. The synodal journey of reflection on marriage and the family, and the subsequent Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia<\/em>, have had an obligatory path and purpose: how to save young people from the din and deafening noise of the ephemeral, which leads them to shy away from stable and positive commitments for the individual and collective good.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And:<\/p>\n

\n

How valuable and urgent is the pastoral action of the whole Church for the recovery, safeguarding, protection of a Christian conscience, illuminated by Gospel values! It will be a long undertaking and not easy, requiring bishops and presbyters to work indefatigably to enlighten, defend and support the Christian conscience of our people. The synodal voice of the bishop Fathers and the subsequent Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia<\/em> thus ensured a basic point: the necessary relationship between the regula fidei<\/em>, that is, the fidelity of the Church to the untouchable Magisterium on marriage, as well as on the Eucharist, and the urgent attention of the Church herself to the psychological and religious processes of all persons called to the choice of marriage and family. Welcoming the wishes expressed by the Synod Fathers, I have already had the opportunity to recommend a marriage catechumenate, intended as an indispensable itinerary for young people and couples destined to revive their Christian conscience, sustained by the grace of the two sacraments, baptism and marriage.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In essence, Pope Francis is confronting what has sometimes been dubbed the \u201cMarriage Strike\u201d. That is, young people are refusing to marry because of a certain pessimism and lack of understanding toward the sacrament and institution\u2013one that has taken root in the current culture.<\/p>\n

In my experience both men and women have been affected by this pessimism toward marriage, although it often expresses itself differently between sexes. That is, I find women more often seek to delay marriage, while I find men simply refuse to commit. And it is not just about secularism, sowing wild oats, or establishing oneself financially. Quite often, the pessimism young people feel toward marriage and raising children is due to their own experience growing up in less-than-ideal family circumstances.<\/p>\n

Pope Francis recognizes that given their experience growing up in today\u2019s culture, young people have in large part tuned out when it comes to marriage and family life. They no longer approach relationships with the rose-coloured optimism of previous generations of young couples. To previous generations, spring meant that love was in the air. To today\u2019s generation of young couple, having survived the winter of their own family life, spring is a foreshadowing of fall when the warmth of summer cools and everything else around you dies.<\/p>\n

Even long-term dating relationships (LTRs, or what yesterday\u2019s generation called \u201cgoing steady\u201d) have for many young people been replaced by hookup culture. In limiting the relationship to the moment, a hookup reveals a definite lack of optimism among young people towards marriage and family life.<\/p>\n

This is what Pope Francis has discerned and is trying to confront in charting a more pastoral course for the Church in Amoris Laetitia<\/em>. This generational pessimism is also what Pope Francis was addressing in convalidating the marriage of two airline stewards after spending the previous day conversing and catechizing them.<\/p>\n

Thus Francis\u2019 first paragraph cited above can be summarized as follows: Young people have been fed a pessimistic view of marriage and family life in today\u2019s culture. We must restore their Christian hope concerning this sacrament and social institution so that they once again choose marriage and family with a positive conscience.<\/p>\n

Likewise, one can summarize Pope Francis\u2019s second paragraph as: We must develop a catechism of marriage to help revive the consciences of our Catholic faithful (including young people) towards marriage and family.<\/p>\n

It is a cunning strategy on the part of the Holy Father. I see a strong parallel to St John Paul II\u2019s inaugural invitation as newly-elected Roman Pontiff. \u201cDo not be afraid,\u201d<\/a> St John Paul II said.<\/p>\n

Today, Pope Francis is adapting his predecessor\u2019s invitation to marriage and family life. In doing so He is asking clergy, religious, and laity active in ministry and apostolate to help restore optimism among young people towards these two venerable social institutions.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

I would guess that anyone who hears confession in a parish, sits on a marriage tribunal, or is engaged in any form of ministry with young people today, will quickly become familiar with \u201chookup\u00a0culture\u201d as well as why even young people in LTR\u2019s openly shy away from marriage and family life. I simply had not connected the dots between it and Pope Francis\u2019 intentions with AL until reading this year\u2019s papal address to the Rota.<\/p>\n

In hindsight, it is so obvious that this is a serious problem worldwide and that Pope Francis wants the Church to address it through pastoral accompaniment that focuses on forming the consciences of young people and restoring their optimism toward marriage and family.<\/p>\n

(And it is also so Ignatian in its discernment and approach.)<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

[this material from Dave]:<\/p>\n

See the alarming data presented in this article: \u201cCatholics Are More Progressive Than The Vatican, And Almost Everyone Else\u201d <\/a>(Carl Bialik, FiveThirtyEight<\/em>, 10-17-14)<\/p>\n

See also my related article, initially stimulated by the above: \u201cPope Francis, Cardinal Newman, & Fresh (Orthodox) Presentations.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

And:<\/p>\n

Dialogue: Is Premarital Sex Wrong?<\/a><\/p>\n

Catholic Virginity: \u201cAnti-Sex\u201d Viewpoint?<\/a><\/p>\n

Catholic Sexuality: A \u201cNutshell\u201d Explanation<\/a><\/p>\n

Catholic Sexuality: Dialogue with an Agnostic<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Photo credit:<\/strong>\u00a0Plot of data from General Social Survey question COHABOK (1298. Do you agree or disagree: b. It is alright for a couple to live together without intending to get married.) using COMPWT weighting. Chart uploaded by<\/span>\u00a0Callinus<\/a>. [Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/\u00a0Creative Commons<\/a>\u00a0Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0<\/a>\u00a0license]<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Post by Canonist Pete Vere We must help revive the consciences of Catholic young people towards marriage and family. ***** Oh. My. Goodness! The Holy Father\u2019s strategy behind Amoris Laetitia suddenly makes sense. And it takes Jesuit cunning to a new level\u2013namely that of the Pope\u2019s universal appeal as a Christian leader. Zenit just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":15424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138,123],"tags":[2462,4857,1380,4327,2461,2460,276,3103,156,1755,582,2044],"class_list":["post-15423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-papacy-infallibility","category-sexuality-and-gender-issues","tag-adultery","tag-catholicism-sexuality","tag-celibacy","tag-chastity","tag-cohabitation","tag-fornication","tag-marriage","tag-pete-vere","tag-pope-francis","tag-premarital-sex","tag-sexuality","tag-theology-of-the-body"],"yoast_head":"\nPope Francis: Pro-Marriage & Contra "Marital Skepticism"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We must develop a "catechism of marriage" to help revive the consciences of our Catholic faithful (especially young people) towards marriage and family.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).","sameAs":["https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}