"The new approach to families will be one of Francis's great legacies."

Austen Ivereigh, the Pope's biographer, and Fr. James Keenan, an American Jesuit and moral theologian, spoke to more than 400 people about how Pope Francis has invited the Church to a conversion in the area of family ministry.

On 19th July, the auditorium of S. João de Brito Scholl was filled for the conference "The Pope of the Families" organized by the Pastoral of the Family of the Society of Jesus and by Brotéria. Austen Ivereigh and Fr. James Keenan, SJ, gathered to help people understand the context in which the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (AL) arose, what the Pope's vision of the Church and the family is, and how the Apostolic Exhortation has been received and implemented in different parts of the world.

Fr. Miguel Almeida, sj, responsible for the Pastoral Care of the Family for the Portuguese Province, emphasized that the objective of the meeting was "not to allow the Pope's concern for the Pastoral Care of Families to die". The Jesuit gave several examples of how the action of Francis in this field has been a driving force for change in different groups of the Portuguese Church.

In his speech, Austen Ivereigh was convinced that "the new approach to families will be one of the great legacies of Francis". The English journalist emphasized the fact that with Francis there was no change in the doctrine of marriage. For him what happened was a change "in the mentality of the Church regard to approaching the reality of marriage". According to the Pope's biographer, we have moved from a way of viewing marriage "as an institution supported by a convention, by the law and validated by the Church" to the consideration of marriage as "a path of conversion and openness to grace. This way of looking at things "is much closer to the Gospel," concluded Ivereigh. It is a demanding way of understanding marriage in the midst of a culture marked by transience. For Austen Iverigh, more than "blaming the culture", the Church must ask herself what She must change "in order to evangelize in a new context".

The theologian James Keenan chose seven words to synthesize Francisco's vision, which is reflected in Amoris Laetitia. The first of the words chosen by the Jesuit was pastoral. Keenan explained that in the apostolic exhortation that followed the Family Synod is "a new understanding of the Church as profoundly pastoral”. On the other hand, "the word "pastoral" links Pope Francis to Vatican II which was the Council of Pastoral Doctrine”. The pastoral dimension of the Church is intimately linked to the second word uttered by the Jesuit: local. It is up to each local Church to understand the way in which the accompaniment of families must be put into practice, without this implying the loss of the bond with the universal Church. In choosing the word synod, Keenan emphasized the fact that Francis clearly bet on a Church that listens, knowing that "listening is more than hear". This attitude of listening is also reflected in the fourth idea emphasized by the moral theologian, the centrality of conscience. Recalling the number 37 of AL, the theologian recalled that as Church "we have been called to form consciences, not to replace them". However, the Jesuit did not fail to mention that "true conscience only works with humility". The call to closeness and the formation of conscience would be impossible without two more dynamics enunciated by Keenan: moral discernment and accompaniment. The last of the seven words chosen by Keenan is deeply associated with the pontificate of Pope Francis and is central to understanding AL: mercy. Defining mercy as "the decision to enter freely into the chaos of another person," the American priest underline that before approaching others, we need to understand what Christ has done for us, how far He has gone. 

James Keenan ended his speech by giving examples of how the reception of LA has transformed the practices of the Church at different levels and contexts.

Fr. Francisco Mota, sj close the conference on behalf of Brotéria, underlining the importance of organizing moments of reflection such as this that meet the issues that people face in their daily lives.