Speculation surrounds Pope Francis’ long-awaited document on families and divorce

Reporting from Rome —  Pope Francis will issue a long-awaited document about the family on Friday that is expected to tackle the thorny issue of giving Communion to remarried divorcees, a topic that has become a lightning rod in the battle between Catholic conservatives and liberals.

The document “Amoris Laetitia,” or “Joy of Love,” will give the pope’s final word on a series of arguments about the family that were debated at divisive synods in 2015 and 2014 where conservative bishops warned that loosening doctrine would weaken the Roman Catholic Church, even as liberals alleged that waving the rule book was emptying pews.

The Argentine pontiff has earned a liberal reputation by urging bishops not to be so obsessed about doctrine, but experts predicted his new document, formally known as an apostolic exhortation, may draw a middle path between the camps, leaving neither side feeling totally satisfied.

“A letter sent out to bishops to prepare them for the exhortation suggested it won’t change doctrine but will change how we can apply it — I think Francis will angle for that,” said Robert Mickens, the editor of Global Pulse.

How that logic is applied to remarried divorcees and Communion may emerge in the document.

Currently the church excludes remarried divorcees from Communion because it sees their first marriage as still valid, meaning the person is living in sin.

At last year’s synod, a measure encouraging priests to bring remarried divorcees closer to the life of the church was narrowly approved.

“Conservatives want to say church teaching will never change, while progressives want pastoral problems to be addressed with compassion, and they want Communion for remarried divorcees,” said Father Tom Reese, an analyst with the National Catholic Reporter.

Reese said he predicted the document would approve the creation of an “internal forum” at which individual decisions could be made about taking Communion.

“I don’t think he will explain in detail how that will work and leave it open for interpretation,” he said. “That will leave the far right and far left unhappy because they want it nailed down.”

Mickens said an opening on Communion could be left to bishops. “That could anger people who think Francis is fudging doctrine, but he believes doctrine doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Mickens said. “Francis wants priests to meet people where they are and interpret doctrine through the pastoral context.”

Francis has already made it easier to annul a marriage through the Vatican’s courts, in the hope that fewer Catholics will need to opt for a civil divorce.

Apart from its views on divorce, the exhortation will also be scrutinized for its slant on homosexuality.

A provisional document issued during the 2014 synod on the family contained a paragraph titled “Welcoming homosexual persons,” which stated that homosexuals had “gifts and qualities” and should be offered a “fraternal space” in the church.

The paragraph did not suggest the church would shift from its opposition to gay sex or same-sex marriage, but it was seen as a step back from traditional Catholic hostility to homosexuality, on par with the pope’s famous 2013 statement, “Who am I to judge?” when asked about gays and lesbians. After pressure from conservatives, the paragraph was excluded from the final document.

Although Communion, divorce and LGBT issues may grab the most headlines, the document is expected to be wide ranging and touch on many issues concerning family life in the modern world, perhaps domestic violence and the treatment of women.

In anticipation of the document’s release – at 3 a.m. Pacific Time – the hashtag #AmorisLaetitia was flying about Twitter and Catholic publications were speculating on what the final document might contain.

“The world’s 1.2 billion Catholics will likely find a push for pastoral care and a less rigid focus on doctrine,” wrote the Religion News Service.

The publication Crux said, “Secrecy surrounding the document is greater than usual, with no copies leaked to the media as of 23 hours before its unveiling.”

Crux then quoted a tweet by Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, Australia, who wrote, “I’ve agreed to do #AmorisLaetitia media stuff but no text by Wed evening. Hard to talk about a text you haven’t had time to read & digest.”

Later Thursday, Coleridge sent out another tweet, asking fellow members of the clergy if they had seen apostolic exhortation yet. “Australia is a long way from Rome: does anyone have else anywhere in the world (except Card Baldisseri) have a copy of #AmorisLaetitia? Pm me.”

Kington is a special correspondent.