The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a
report on the reception and implementation of Pope Francis’s apostolic
exhortation Amoris Laetitia.The report was written at the request of Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and is based on 59 responses to a survey of bishops and leaders of Catholic organizations.
“Bishops, lay leaders, and families in the United States have proactively sought to receive Pope Francis’s teachings joyfully and to implement them in our shared task of caring for marriages and families,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, the president of the USCCB, who stated that the bishops’ conference may soon develop a “renewed, comprehensive pastoral plan for marriage and family life ministry and advocacy.”
“Media reports and commentaries have tended at times to present a myopic view of Amoris Laetitia, with interest in only a few topics out of a broad range covered in the exhortation,” the USCCB report stated, as it discussed how the apostolic exhortation is being implemented.
The report concluded:
Respondents indicated that further resources on the application of some aspects of Amoris Laetitia, such as those treating the internal forum and reception of the sacraments with regard to persons in irregular marital situations, would be helpful. The same was mentioned about some of the key terms and concepts such as discernment, integration, gradualness, conscience, and mercy.