Amoris Laetitia and the Spirit of Vatican II: The Source of Controversy

Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ post-synodal exhortation on love in the family, turned out to be one of the most controversial documents of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church in recent decades. It was published in April 2016 following the two ＂Synods of Bishops on the Family＂ held in 2014 and 2015. The document brought division amongst the Catholic hierarchy, theologians and pastors and nearly two years after its publication the exact meaning of the document and its implications for the Church are still a matter of dispute. A number of prelates present at the Synods indicated that these gatherings were animated by ＂the spirit of Vatican II.＂ This work links the notion of ＂the spirit of Vatican II＂ with Amoris Laetitia and it argues that a hermeneutics of interpretation of the Second Vatican Council which focuses on following ＂the spirit of the Council＂ is the hermeneutics which can be, and in the future most likely will be, the predominant way of interpreting and implementing Amoris Laetitia.

This book aims to provide a contribution to this hotly debated topic in the field of Catholic theology.

Mariusz Biliniewicz is Associate Dean and Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Australia.