In the document, Francis pulled together the priorities he has
laid out in eight months of homilies, speeches and interviews
and put them in the broader context of how to reinvigorate the
church's evangelical zeal in a world marked by indifference,
secularization and vast income inequalities.
He explained his
most controversial remarks criticizing the church's "obsession"
with transmitting a disjointed set of moral doctrines, saying
that in the church's "hierarchy of truths," mercy is paramount,
proportion is necessary, and that what counts is inviting the
faithful in.
He went even further in the new document, saying some of the
church's historical customs can even be cast aside if they no
longer serve to communicate the faith. Citing St. Augustine and
St. Thomas Aquinas, Francis stressed the need for moderation in
norms "so as to not burden the lives of the faithful."
At the same time, Francis restated the church's opposition to
abortion, making clear that this doctrine is non-negotiable and
is at the core of the church's insistence on the dignity of
every human being.
The document, Evangelii Gaudium, (The Joy of the Gospel), is
the second major teaching document issued by Francis but is the
first actually written by him since the encyclical "The Light of
Faith," issued in July, was penned almost entirely by Pope
Benedict XVI before he resigned.
Francis' concerns are laced throughout, and the theological
and historical citations leave no doubt about his own points of
reference and priorities: Popes John XXIII and Paul VI, who
presided over the Second Vatican Council, which brought the
church into the modern world, are cited repeatedly.
"I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty
because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church
which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its
own security," he wrote. "I do not want a church concerned with
being at the center and then ends up by being caught up in a web
of obsessions and procedures."
"More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will
be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures
which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make
us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at
our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying
to us, 'Give them something to eat.'"
