The letter is dated October 13, the same day the Pontiff was admitted to the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome for surgery. It is addressed to the participants in the meeting “Ten Years after Amoris Laetitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with Families Today,” held behind closed doors in the Paul VI Hall from October 7 to 14. The Pope convened the presidents of the episcopal conferences and the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
A brief message without doctrinal guidance
“As you know, I was unable to be with you during these days,” begins Leo XIV. He thanks them for their prayers and the work carried out, and describes the exchange of experiences and attentive listening as “a gift for the whole Church.” He expresses particular gratitude to the families who spoke of “their joys, struggles, and hopes,” as well as to the heads of the Eastern Churches and the presidents of the episcopal conferences.
The central passage of the text defers any pronouncement: “I will read the fruits of your work and your debates, and I will offer my reflections in due time.” In the meantime, the Pope encourages the bishops to “begin to share” with their episcopal conferences and dioceses “what you have experienced and received,” and to continue proclaiming the Gospel with families, “drawing inspiration from the richness of Amoris Laetitia.” He also expresses his desire that families be “active participants” in the life of the local Churches and help pastors discern the way forward.
The message concludes by entrusting the participants to the Holy Family of Nazareth, with a request for prayers and the apostolic blessing. It contains no doctrinal or disciplinary indications, nor does it refer to the most debated points of the exhortation.
The synthesis report, on hold
Before the operation, Leo XIV personally requested that the synthesis report not be made public, contrary to what had initially been announced. As Jesuit Giacomo Costa, consultant to the General Secretariat of the Synod, explained, the Pope wants to listen to it and issue his own pronouncement. Cardinals Kevin Farrell and Mario Grech, heads of the organizing dicasteries, stated in a joint communiqué that the Pontiff will examine the interventions, the reports of the sixteen working groups, and the final synthesis once his convalescence is complete. No date has been set.
The Pope underwent surgery on Tuesday the 13th. The doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung after confirming an adenocarcinoma. According to the Holy See, the procedure was carried out without complications, and he is expected to remain hospitalized for about a week. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presided over the closing Mass of the meeting on the 14th and read the homily that Leo XIV had prepared.
An exhortation still open to debate
Amoris Laetitia, published by Francis on March 19, 2016, following the synods of 2014 and 2015, generated strong controversy over its Chapter VIII and footnote 351. That passage opened the door, according to some interpretations, to access to the sacraments for the divorced and civilly remarried. The dubia presented that same year by four cardinals never received a response.
When convening the meeting last March, Leo XIV placed the document alongside Familiaris Consortio by John Paul II, as texts that strengthened the Church’s doctrinal and pastoral commitment to families. The reflections he has promised will therefore be the first indication of how he intends to guide the reception of the exhortation.