The Second Vatican Council on Marriage

Pius XII, 1939-1958, died without a clear indication of who should follow.Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, 25 November 1881 – 3 June 1963cardinal and patriarch of Venice 1953-1958, elected the 261st pope on 28 October 1958: John XXIIIJanuary 1959: John announces his plans to call a council, the 21st ecumenical council of the Western church.

John XXIII called the council, he said, to renew "ourselves and the flocks committed to us, so that there may radiate before all men the lovable features of Jesus Christ, who shines in our hearts that God's splendor may be revealed."

There were no heresies, no crises, no immediate threats to the church or the faith. John wanted to “open the windows of the church”, to allow the Spirit to refresh the church and accomplish “aggiornamento” – bringing up to date.

Bishops of the entire world were asked to submit proposals for the work of the council. In June 1960, 10 commissions were established to prepare for discussions on scripture, tradition, faith and morals, the office of bishops, seminaries, religious orders, ecumenical relations, missions, eastern churches, etc. There were 2,600 bishops among the 3,000 participants including theologians, religious, experts (periti) including laity, and ecumenical observers

Four sessions (11 Oct. 1962 – 8 Dec. 1965)Oct – Dec 1962Sept – Dec 1963Sept – Nov 1964Sept – Dec 1965

In June 1963, Paul VI became pope and continued the council

Pastoral Constitution “On the Church In the Modern World”: Gaudium et Spes

over 27,000 words, 2 parts, 9 chapters, 93 sections

Opening and General Introduction (1-10)

I. The Church and Man’s Calling (11-45)I. The Dignity of the Human Person2. The Community of mankind3. Man’s activity throughout the World4. The Role of the Church in the Modern World

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46. This council has set forth the dignity of the human person, and the work which men have been destined to undertake throughout the world both as individuals and as members of society. There are a number of particularly urgent needs characterizing the present age, needs which go to the roots of the human race. To a consideration of these in the light of the Gospel and of human experience, the council would now direct the attention of all.

[It is very important to note here that the traditional found in wording of moral textbooks claimed to be based upon ‘the Gospel and natural law’. The text of GS, 46 changes this, substituting the concept of ‘human experience’ for natural law.]

II. Some Problems of Special Urgency (47-93)1. Fostering the Nobility of Marriage and the Family (47-52)2. The Proper Development of Culture3. Socio-Economic Life4. The Life of the Political Community5. The Fostering of Peace and the Promotion of a Community of Nations

Fostering the Nobility of Marriage and the Family (47-52)

fall of 1964, bishops reject a draft text intervention by two cardinals and a patriarch change the course

new text prepared in spring of 1965, submitted to the council 12 Nov

16 Nov, first vote1596 placet 72 non placet 484 placet iuxta modum

24 Nov, letter arrives from the papal office with 4 additional modi2 Dec revised text distributed with the ‘Expensio modorum’ (EM)6 Dec final text voted on and accepted

Part Two, Ch. 1: Fostering the Nobility of Marriage and the Family 47 general introduction: marriage and the family in the world today48 theological understanding of marriage and family49 on conjugal love50 on marital fertility51 on harmonizing love and fertility52 on the family in the world today

47. general introduction: marriage and the family in the world today

‘signs of the times’ - typical approach of contemporary church teachingmarriage - family - society are all interlinked and benefit each otherhowever, there are threats:

marriage is threatened bypolygamy, divorce,so-called free-love

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married love is threatened byegoism, hedonism, andillicit practices against generation

the family is threatened bysocial, psychological and economic conditionsdemands of civil societypopulation growth

Note that the text on ‘illicit practices against generation’ was not in the original textbut was added in response to the first papal modus:

Pag. 5, lin. 22: [first suggested to be added as one of the threats to marriage as such]Artes Anticonceptionales debent habere mentionem simul cum referentia ad Casti Connubii, ita ut textus jam legatur: "siquidem polygamia, divortii lue, amore sic dicto liero artibus anticonceptionalibus, aliisve deformationibus obscurantur". Cfr. Pius XI, Litt. Encycl. Casti Connubii: AAS 22 (1930) pp. 559 et 560. Denz. 2239-2240 (3716-3717).

Objection by the commission:“contraceptive practices” would condemn use of periodic continence, and It would be more a contradiction of love than the institution of marriage… Furthermore, no position could be taken with respect to contraception which was still under study by the pope’s own commission

Text of GS, 47

“All these situations have produced anxiety of consciences. Yet, the power and strength of the institution of marriage and family can also be seen in the fact that time and again, despite the difficulties produced, the profound changes in modern society reveal the true character of this institution in one way or another.”

note the lack of fear about change;there is a certain appreciation for the historical development of marriage

“Therefore, by presenting certain key points of Church doctrine in a clearer light, this sacred synod wishes to offer guidance and support to those Christians and others who are trying to preserve the holiness and to foster the natural dignity of the married state and its superlative value.”

note the intention to present ‘doctrine’;what follows is not simply some form of ‘pastoral reflection’this constitutes an attempt to restate the church’s teaching on marriage

GS, 48 theological understanding of marriage and family

“The intimate partnership of [married] life and married love has been established by the Creator and qualified by His laws. It is rooted in the conjugal covenant [of] or irrevocable personal consent.”

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‘covenant’ (lat. foedere) is a scriptural, theological term, intentionally substituted for the juridical term ‘contract’[indicates an error in translation]

“Hence by that human act whereby spouses mutually bestow and accept each other a relationship arises which by divine will and in the eyes of society too is a lasting one. For the good of the spouses and their offspring as well as of society, the existence of the sacred bond no longer depends on human decisions alone.”

lastingness flows from the commitment and the relationship, note as well that it is the relationship that is said to be lasting, not an institution

“For, God Himself is the author of matrimony, endowed as it is with various benefits and purposes.”

There is a footnote to the text at this point. It is explained in the EM as a response to the suggestion to make reference to the ‘goods of marriage’.

1. Cf. St. Augustine, De Bono coniugali PL 40, 375-376 and 394; St. Thomas, Summa Theol., Suppl. Quaest. 49, art. 3 ad 1; Decretum pro Armenis: Denz.-Schoen. 1327; Pius XI, encyclical letter Casti Connubii: AAS 22 (1930, pp. 547-548; Denz.Schoen. 3703-3714.

Cf. St. Augustine, De Bono coniugali PL 40, 375 - 376 and 394, while the second reference (c. 394) refers to the ‘tria bona’, the first reference (c. 375-376) is a statement to the effect that marriage is good, that it should be characterized by unity and lastingness, that the cause of its goodness is "not only because of the procreation of children but also because of the natural companionship between the two sexes," that marriage also provides a relief from incontinence, and finally, that fidelity belongs solely within marriage.

St. Thomas, Summa Theol., Suppl. Quaest. 49, art. 3 ad 1, Article 3. Whether the sacrament is the chief of the marriage goods?Objection 1. It would seem that the "sacrament" is not the chief of the marriage goods. For the end is principal in everything. Now the end of marriage is the offspring. Therefore the offspring is the chief marriage good.On the contrary, That which has a place in the definition of a thing is most essential thereto. Now inseparability, which pertains to sacrament, is placed in the definition of marriage (44, 3), while offspring and faith are not. Therefore among the other goods sacrament is the most essential to matrimony. Reply to Objection 1. The end as regards the intention stands first in a thing, but as regards the attainment it stands last. It is the same with "offspring" among the marriage goods; wherefore in a way it is the most important and in another way it is not.

Decretum pro Armenis: Denz. - Schoen. 1327;

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Bull of Pope Eugene IV, 22 Nov 1439, a summarizing statement to the effect that marriage is the seventh sacrament, its efficient cause is mutual, verbal consent, and it enjoys a triple good: the doctrine of Augustine. Also referred to at the Council of Trent as a manner of instructing those who may disagree with the church’s teaching, both Protestant and Orthodox who, under certain conditions, sometimes allow for a second marriage.

Pius XI, encyclical letter Casti Connubii: AAS 22 (1930, pp. 547 - 548; Denz.Schoen. 3703 - 3714. (transl. of text taken from AAS 547)This (conjugal faith), however, which is most aptly called by St. Augustine the "faith of chastity" blooms more freely, more beautifully and more nobly, when it is rooted in the more excellent soil; the love of husband and wife which pervades all the duties of married life and holds pride of place in Christian marriage

(transl. of text taken from AAS 548) This mutual inward molding of a husband and wife, this determined effort to perfect each other can, in a very real sense, be said to be the chief reason and purpose of matrimony, as taught by the Catechism of the Council of Trent (p. II, Ch. VIII, q 13), …

(transl. of text following on 549 - and omitted in the reference)… provided matrimony be looked at not in the restricted sense as instituted for the proper conception and education of the child, but more widely as the blending of life as a whole and the mutual interchange and sharing thereof

The text for which these references are in the footnote, “For, God Himself is the author of matrimony, endowed as it is with various benefits and purposes.”

is followed by:“All of these have a very decisive bearing on the continuation of the human race, on the personal development and eternal destiny of the individual members of a family, and on the dignity, stability, peace and prosperity of the family itself and of human society as a whole.”

and then, “By their very nature, the institution of matrimony itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their ultimate crown.”

GS, 48 continues:

“Thus a man and a woman, who by their compact of conjugal love "are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matt. 19:6), render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions. Through this union they experience the meaning of their oneness and attain to it with growing perfection day by day. As a mutual gift of two persons, this intimate union and the good of the children impose total fidelity on the spouses and argue for an unbreakable oneness between them.”

Note the emphasis placed upon the relationship, oneness, the mutual gift and intimate union

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the ‘good of children’ referred to here is not a ‘good’ in the sense of Augustine and Casti Connubii (bonum prolis), but rather the well-being of the children of the union (bonum liberorum)

A connection is then made between marital love and the love of God for God’s people, of Christ for the Church

“Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is governed and enriched by Christ's redeeming power and the saving activity of the Church”

Note that divine love and married love are not identified; the former is reflected in the latter.

Christians are said to be strengthened by the sacrament to dedicate themselves to carrying out their duties and ‘the dignity of their state’ …

“Thus they increasingly advance the perfection of their own personalities, as well as their mutual sanctification, and hence contribute jointly to the glory of God.”

The text goes on to talk about the family, children and parents in old age, especially widows, as receiving the grace initiated by the love of God.

49 On conjugal love

The first thing that needs to be said about this section is that here we find a development of the notion of conjugal love without a single mention of having children. Secondly, consistent with what was written in a positive way about ‘change’ in the first section (47), is here continued.

“Many men of our own age also highly regard true love between husband and wife as it manifests itself in a variety of ways depending on the worthy customs of various peoples and times.”

The text goes on to describe conjugal or married love:“This love is an eminently human one …”…it is total, for “it pervades the whole of their lives”

The second paragraph (in Latin) is worth reading in full.

This love is uniquely expressed and perfected through the appropriate enterprise of matrimony. The actions within marriage by which the couple are united intimately and chastely are noble and worthy ones. Expressed in a manner which is truly human, these actions promote that mutual self-giving by which spouses enrich each other with a joyful and a ready will. Sealed by mutual faithfulness and hallowed above all by Christ's sacrament, this love remains steadfastly true in body and in mind, in bright days or dark. It will never be profaned by adultery or divorce. Firmly established by the Lord, the unity of marriage will radiate from the equal personal dignity of wife and husband, a dignity acknowledged by mutual and total love. The constant fulfillment of the duties of this Christian vocation demands notable virtue. For this reason, strengthened by grace for holiness of life, the couple will painstakingly cultivate and pray for steadiness of love, large-heartedness and the spirit of sacrifice.

NB: the positive evaluation of sexual acts performed in a ‘truly human’ manner (cf. 1983 CIC) positive, indicative, not imperative, verbs (must, should)

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This describes conjugal love as “faithful and exclusive”

49. On conjugal love, thus describes the concept as:

‘human, total, faithful and exclusive’

It does not add ‘fecund’ to this description, for the fecundity is attributed to “the institution of matrimony and conjugal love” (GS, 48) and is dealt with in a separate paragraph

50. On marital fertility

“Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the begetting and educating of children. Hence, the true practice of conjugal love and the whole meaning of family life which results from it also (etiam) have this aim, that spouses, with a stout heart, will be ready to cooperate with the love of the Creator and the Savior, who through them will enlarge and enrich His own family day by day.”

This is the location of another papal modus. The original text is in normal print, the changes (from the modus) are in italic, or (from the editorial committee) in bold.

Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the begetting and educating of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute very substantially to the welfare of their parents. The God Himself Who said, "it is not good for man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18) and "Who made man from the beginning male and female" (Matt. 19:4), wishing to share with man a certain special participation in His own creative work, blessed male and female, saying: "Increase and multiply" (Gen. 1:28). Hence, while not making the other purposes of matrimony of less account, the true practice of conjugal love, and the whole meaning of the family life which results from it, have this aim: that the couple be ready with stout hearts to cooperate with the love of the Creator and the Savior, who through them will enlarge and enrich His own family day by day.

“Parents should regard as their proper mission the task of transmitting human life and educating those to whom it has been transmitted. They should realize that they are thereby cooperators with the love of God the Creator, and are, so to speak, the interpreters of that love. Thus they will fulfill their task with human and Christian responsibility, and, with docile reverence toward God, will make decisions by common counsel and effort. Let them thoughtfully take into account both their own welfare and that of their children, those already born and those which the future may bring. For this accounting they need to reckon with both the material and the spiritual conditions of the times as well as of their state in life. Finally, they should consult the interests of the family group, of temporal society, and of the Church herself.”

note the positive, not obligatory, attitude toward responsibility

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note that this responsibility belongs to the spouses, which amounts to a ‘Catholic’ form of ‘responsible parenthood’

“The parents themselves and no one else should ultimately make this judgment in the sight of God. But in their manner of acting, spouses should be aware that they cannot proceed arbitrarily, but must always be governed according to a conscience dutifully conformed to the divine law itself, and should be submissive toward the Church's teaching office, which authentically interprets that law in the light of the Gospel. That divine law reveals and protects the integral meaning of conjugal love, and impels it toward a truly human fulfillment.

“Marriage to be sure is not instituted solely for procreation; rather, its very nature as an unbreakable compact between persons, and the welfare of the children, both demand that the mutual love of the spouses be embodied in a rightly ordered manner, that it grow and ripen. Therefore, marriage persists as a whole manner and communion of life, and maintains its value and indissolubility, even when despite the often intense desire of the couple, offspring are lacking.”

Summary of GS, 48 – 501. In GS marriage is essentially redefined. The tradition was allowed to develop - as it needed to. This is done, as stated in GS, 46, "in light of the Gospel and of human experience.“Marriage is defined as a covenant, in scriptural terms, from a relational and not a functional point of view, and with a personalist norm, rather than natural law, as the starting point.2. This redefinition is done in such a way that 'whatever is meant by' the term conjugal love is essential. It is uniquely expressed in the sexual relationship which brings joy and can help lead toward mutual perfection. Also, it is said that conjugal love is the source of and locus for virtue, specifically chastity, generosity, and steadfastness.3. The procreative aspect of marriage flows from conjugal love as well as from the institution, and therefore is no longer affirmed as the primary purpose or end of marriage alone. All aspects of procreation and education, responsible parenthood, should be conscious, based on the free decision of the spouses.

51. On harmonizing love and fertility

“This council realizes that certain modern conditions often keep couples from arranging their married lives harmoniously, and that they find themselves in circumstances where at least temporarily the size of their families should not be increased. As a result, the faithful exercise of love and the full intimacy of their lives is hard to maintain. But where the intimacy of married life is broken off, its faithfulness can sometimes be imperiled and its quality of fruitfulness ruined for then the upbringing of the children and the courage to accept new ones are both endangered.”

This represents the recognition of genuine conflictThe intimate aspects of conjugal love are not simply passions to be controlled, but form an important part of ‘normal daily life’

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“To these problems there are those who presume to offer dishonorable solutions indeed; they do not recoil even from the taking of life. But the Church issues the reminder that a true contradiction cannot exist between the divine laws pertaining to the transmission of life and those pertaining to authentic conjugal love.”

The only ‘dishonorable’ solution mentioned here is abortion.Since there is no contradiction between the transmission of life and authentic conjugal love, there must be a solution to the dilemma caused by the conflict.

This is also the suggested place of the fourth of the papal modi:

... if spouses are to overcome their difficulties, it is altogether necessary for them to practise the virtue of conjugal chastity sincerely. (...sed ad difficultates superandas omnino requiri ut conjuges castitatem conjugalem sincero animo colant.) 

accepted, but placed elsewhere in the text.

“For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes. The sexual characteristics of man and the human faculty of reproduction wonderfully exceed the dispositions of lower forms of life. Hence the acts themselves which are proper to conjugal love and which are exercised in accord with genuine human dignity must be honored with great reverence.

“Thus, when there is question of harmonizing conjugal love with the responsible transmission of life, the moral aspects of any procedure do not depend solely on sincere intentions or on an evaluation of motives, but must be determined by objective standards. These, based on the nature of the human person and his acts, preserve the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love. Such a goal cannot be achieved unless the virtue of conjugal chastity is sincerely practiced.”

original text (14 nov 65): “based upon human dignity”5 bishops wanted to add : “upon the nature of the person and human dignity”1 wanted to add : “on the dignity of the person and upon their acts”

a compromise was struck by changing the final phrase to:

ex personae eiusdemque actuum natura desumptisor in English word orderdesumptis ex natura persone eiusdemque actuum= based upon the nature of the person and the person acts of that same person …

(EM, 104, Acta Synodalia, 4, VII, p. 502), “… which words also express the idea that the acts being spoken about here are not reducible to their mere biological aspects but actually refer to those activities of the human person integrally and adequately considered.”

… preserve the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love. Such a goal cannot be achieved unless the virtue of conjugal chastity is sincerely practiced.

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This is followed by the statement,

“Relying on these principles, sons of the Church may not undertake methods of regulating fertility which are found blameworthy by the teaching authority of the Church in its unfolding of the divine law.(14)”

The original text had read:

Relying on these principles, sons of the church should (ne vias ineant) avoid methods of regulating fertility that the Magisterium finds objectionable.

The proposed changes in the papal modus were:

… sons of the church may not (inire non licere) use methods which the magisterium has found or might find objectionable (past tense + subjunctive mode) or … sons of the church may not (inire non licet) use methods which the magisterium finds or might find objectionable (present tense + subjunctive mode)

The commission responded: “one cannot use the first formulation because the use of the past tense would condemn the use of periodic continence; the second cannot be used because the use of the subjunctive (in both formulations) is impossible: the faithful cannot be bound to a teaching that ‘might’ (or ‘might not’?) be given at some future time!”

Thus, the final text reads:Relying on these principles, sons of the Church may not use (vias inire non licet) methods of regulating fertility which are found blameworthy by the teaching authority of the Church in its unfolding of the divine law.(14)

This last phrase was not in the original text because such a statement had already appeared in the previous section (GS,50). It was, however, repeated here to insure that it was clear that any such teaching needs to be linked with scripture and revelation: the area within which the teaching office exercises its competence.

Then, there is footnote 14:First the original suggestions of the papal modus:

Cf. Pius XI, encyclical letter Casti Connubii: AAS 22 (1930): Denz-Schoen. 3716-3718; Pius XII, Allocutio Conventui Unionis Italicae inter Obstetrices, Oct. 29, 1951: AAS 43 (1951), PP. 835-854,

Then an addition of the commission:

Paul VI, address to a group of cardinals, June 23 1964: AAS 56 (1964), PP. 581-589.

“Certain questions which need further and more careful investigation have been handed over, at the command of the Supreme Pontiff, to a commission for the study of

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population, family, and births, in order that, after it fulfills its function, the Supreme Pontiff may pass judgment.

With the doctrine of the magisterium in this state, this holy synod does not intend to propose immediately concrete solutions.”

Sic stante doctrina Magisterii, S. Synodus solutiones concretas immediate proponere non intendit. Note that there is no comma between ‘sic’ and ‘stante’, so the sentence does NOT read, “thus, with the teaching of the church remaining in this state (i.e., as it is), “

52. On the family in the world today

emphasises the social dimensions of marriage and the family:including social, economic, cultural and spiritual factors

calls the family "a kind of school of deeper humanity" and "the foundation of society."

although the thrust of the document is positive and optimistic, it does recognise that the family is under threat and needs a certain amount of protection – preparations for the 1980 synod will confirm this

it affirms the equality of the spouses: "let the spouses themselves, made to the image of the living God and enjoying the authentic dignity of persons, be joined to one another in equal affection, harmony and mind, and the work of mutual sanctification."

it recognizes the importance of the active presence of the father in the development of children and the family

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Texts taken directly from Amoris Laetitia on thematic matters

Normative morality:

It is reductive simply to consider whether or not an individual’s actions correspond to a general law or rule, because that is not enough to discern and ensure full fidelity to God in the concrete life of a human being. I earnestly ask that we always recall a teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas and learn to incorporate it in our pastoral discernment: “Although there is necessity in the general principles, the more we descend to matters of detail, the more frequently we encounter defects… In matters of action, truth or practical rectitude is not the same for all, as to matters of detail, but only as to the general principles; and where there is the same rectitude in matters of detail, it is not equally known to all… The principle will be found to fail, according as we descend further into detail”. (304)

Natural law:

[Frances does write about a certain ‘natural order’ and about ‘natural marriage’, but he does not endorse a specific concept of ‘natural law’. He does observe that the concept is not equivalent to an ‘already established set of rules.]

… a pastor cannot feel that it is enough simply to apply moral laws to those living in “irregular” situations, as if they were stones to throw at people’s lives. This would bespeak the closed heart of one used to hiding behind the Church’s teachings, “sitting on the chair of Moses and judging at times with superiority and superficiality difficult cases and wounded families”. Along these same lines, the International Theological Commission has noted that “natural law could not be presented as an already established set of rules that impose themselves a priori on the moral subject; rather, it is a source of objective inspiration for the deeply personal process of making decisions”. (305)

Sin oriented, objective sin:

It can no longer simply be said that all those in any “irregular” situation are living in a state of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace. More is involved here than mere ignorance of the rule. A subject may know full well the rule yet have great difficulty in understanding “its inherent values” or be in a concrete situation which does not allow him or her to act differently and decide otherwise without further sin. As the Synod Fathers put it, “factors may exist which limit the ability to make a decision”. (301)

Acts in themselves being judged:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly mentions these factors: “imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors”. In another paragraph, the Catechism refers once again to circumstances which mitigate moral responsibility, and mentions at length “affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen or even extenuate moral culpability”. For this

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reason, a negative judgment about an objective situation does not imply a judgment about the imputability or culpability of the person involved. On the basis of these convictions, I consider very fitting what many Synod Fathers wanted to affirm: “Under certain circumstances people find it very difficult to act differently. Therefore, while upholding a general rule, it is necessary to recognize that responsibility with respect to certain actions or decisions is not the same in all cases. Pastoral discernment, while taking into account a person’s properly formed conscience, must take responsibility for these situations. Even the consequences of actions taken are not necessarily the same in all cases”. (302 in full)

Admits of no conflict:

We also need to be humble and realistic, acknowledging that at times the way we present our Christian beliefs and treat other people has helped contribute to today’s problematic situation. We need a healthy dose of self-criticism. Then too, we often present marriage in such a way that its unitive meaning, its call to grow in love and its ideal of mutual assistance are overshadowed by an almost exclusive insistence on the duty of procreation. Nor have we always provided solid guidance to young married couples, understanding their timetables, their way of thinking and their concrete concerns. At times we have also proposed a far too abstract and almost artificial theological ideal of marriage, far removed from the concrete situations and practical possibilities of real families. This excessive idealization, especially when we have failed to inspire trust in God’s grace, has not helped to make marriage more desirable and attractive, but quite the opposite. (36)

Dependent on casuistry:

It is true that there is no sense in simply decrying present-day evils, as if this could change things. Nor it is helpful to try to impose rules by sheer authority. What we need is a more responsible and generous effort to present the reasons and motivations for choosing marriage and the family, and in this way to help men and women better to respond to the grace that God offers them. (35)

Conscience is to be informed:

We find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them. (37)

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… conscience can do more than recognize that a given situation does not correspond objectively to the overall demands of the Gospel. It can also recognize with sincerity and honesty what for now is the most generous response which can be given to God, and come to see with a certain moral security that it is what God himself is asking amid the concrete complexity of one’s limits, while yet not fully the objective ideal. (303)

Intention is ‘only’ subjective:

Marriage is a vocation, inasmuch as it is a response to a specific call to experience conjugal love as an imperfect sign of the love between Christ and the Church. Consequently, the decision to marry and to have a family ought to be the fruit of a process of vocational dis-cernment. (72)

The degree of responsibility is not equal in all cases and factors may exist which limit the ability to make a decision. Therefore, while clearly stating the Church’s teaching, pastors are to avoid judgements that do not take into account the complexity of various situations, and they are to be attentive, by necessity, to how people experience and endure distress because of their condition”. (79)

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