Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, the author of a new book interpreting Amoris Laetitia, insists that there should be no confusion about the message of the papal document.In an interview with the Crux news site, Cardinal Coccopalmerio said that the 8th chapter of Amoris Laetitia, which is the subject of his book, could cause some confusion, in part because it is “too long.”
Because so many subjects are covered in that section, he said, “it necessarily becomes—I wouldn’t say confusing—but at least not so simple, not so clear.”
The cardinal, who is president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, said that he hoped his book would be helpful for people seeking to understand the Pope’s intentions. He said that his 50-page book aimed to provide a “simplification” of the document.
But again he denied that there are grounds for confusion about the Pope’s message.
On the critical question of whether divorced and remarried Catholics may receive Communion, Cardinal Coccopalmerio said:
A member of the faithful finds herself [or himself] in a non-legitimate situation, and the first marriage is valid and indissoluble. Yet the person is conscious of the wrongness of the situation, has the desire to change it but can’t because it would hurt innocent people, such as the children. It’s my belief that this situation, with these elements, allows access to the sacraments.The individual’s decision to receive the Eucharist should be ratified by a priest, the cardinal said, and perhaps a bishop should also be involved in the process of discernment.
The cardinal said that this logic would “clearly” not apply to homosexual couples.