The president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Dominican religious Helen Alford, addressed the “law of gradualness” on October 7 during her intervention at the meeting organized in Rome for the tenth anniversary of Amoris laetitia, and clarified that this principle should not be confused with a “gradualness of the law.”
Alford spoke in the Paul VI Hall during the first day of the meeting “Ten Years after Amoris laetitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with Families Today,” convened with the participation of the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences.
In her meditation, the religious linked Amoris laetitia with Familiaris consortio, the apostolic exhortation of Saint John Paul II on the family, and noted that both documents address the question of people’s moral growth and its relationship with the objective demands of the law.
“Law of Gradualness,” Not “Gradualness of the Law”
Alford recalled that the “law of gradualness” means that the person “knows, loves, and accomplishes moral good according to stages of growth.”
She clarified, however, that this principle does not equate to a “gradualness of the law.”
As she explained, gradualness refers to the “prudential exercise of free acts” by persons who may not be in a position to “fully understand, appreciate, or practice the objective demands of the law.”
The religious added that the moral ideal does not disappear in this process and recalled that “the law is a gift from God that points the way.”
Alford also observed that 35 years passed between Familiaris consortio and Amoris laetitia, during which the reality of family life underwent numerous changes. In social contexts subject to rapid transformations, she noted, it may be necessary to seek ways of articulating the objective demands of the law with the “law of gradualness.”
Fragility in Family Life
The president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences also devoted part of her intervention to the situations of fragility that many marriages and families experience.
Taking Amoris laetitia as a reference, she referred to moments of stress and tension that can lead to crises or breakups and recalled that Pope Francis’s document invites people to face these situations in the light of faith.
Alford also cited a reflection by Leo XIV according to which the beauty of the vocation to marriage must be sought “through, with, and in its fragility,” since weakness can awaken greater trust in God.
The Samaritan Woman as an Example
At another point in her intervention, Alford drew on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman to explain different stages of evangelization.
The religious highlighted that Christ does not avoid referring to the woman’s personal situation. When she states that she has no husband, Jesus reminds her that she has had five and that the man with whom she now lives is not her husband.
Alford presented the episode as an example of an encounter that combines welcome and confrontation with the truth. From this passage, she described several stages of the evangelization process: the awakening of desire, the recognition of one’s own fragility, openness to teaching, and finally its transmission to others.
She also linked this episode to the importance of relationships within the family and noted that social reality is made up of bonds that must be recognized and cared for.
Farrell Warns of the Weakening of the Transmission of Faith
The inaugural session also included interventions by the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, and the secretary general of the Synod, Cardinal Mario Grech.
Farrell warned of the “progressive weakening of the transmission of faith in families” in a context marked by secularization, individualism, and the growing presence of technology.
“It is time to look at the challenges so that families may rediscover the Gospel with greater awareness,” he stated.
The cardinal also pointed to the need to create environments capable of sustaining Christian life and fostering relationships, affections, faith, and life decisions consistent with it.
Grech, for his part, stated that participants would bring to the meeting the joys, hopes, and concerns of families from different parts of the world.
Encouraging Young People toward Marriage
Alford concluded her intervention by calling for ways to encourage young people to face “the great challenge of marriage and family life.”
The religious noted that this path includes situations of fragility and maintained that these can also become an opportunity to discover new forms of trust in God and a renewed desire for holiness.
The meeting will continue in the coming days with sessions dedicated to family pastoral care, the transmission of faith, and the challenges currently faced by marriages and families.