Pope proclaims year of families, offers advice to keep peace

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis doubled down on one of his papal priorities and urged renewed attention to his controversial 2016 document on family life.

Pope Francis waves at the end of his Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Oct. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Associated Press

December 27, 2020 at 10:19 a.m. ET

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday proclaimed an upcoming year dedicated to the family as he doubled down on one of his papal priorities and urged renewed attention to his controversial 2016 document on family life.

Francis announced the upcoming year on the family would begin March 19, the fifth anniversary of his document “The Joy of Love.” Among other things, the document opened the door to letting divorced and civilly remarried couples receive Communion, sparking criticism and even claims of heresy from conservative Catholics.

Francis penned the document after summoning bishops from around the world to debate how the Catholic Church can better minister to families. While the divorce-remarriage issue dominated headlines during the back-to-back synods, the discussion also touched on ministering to gay people and other “non-traditional” families.

Francis made the comments during his Sunday noon blessing, delivered from inside his studio to prevent people from gathering in St. Peter’s Square below as part of the Vatican’s anti-virus precautions.

In making the announcement, Francis offered some friendly papal advice to bickering families, reminding them to say “pardon me, thank you and sorry” and never end the day without making peace.

“Because the Cold War the day after is dangerous,” he quipped.

No paywalls here. Thanks to you.

As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.

Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher

Donate today

1	news As polyamory gains visibility, monogamy faces a vote in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
2	news Willy Rice, Florida pastor and abuse crisis skeptic, elected SBC president
3	news Defense Department to drop atheists, pagans, 175 others from list of military faiths
4	news Defense Department rejiggers list of recognized religions after backlash, narrows it to 30
5	news Meet the pastors who support the ICE raids

	The State of Belief What Democracy and Religion Look Like Across America Paul Brandeis Raushenbush Find out how local Interfaith Alliance affiliates are on the front lines in the work of defending religious freedom and democracy with leaders from Iowa, Tennessee, and the national office in Washington, DC
	Money Meet Meaning Sacred Assets, Tough Decisions Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson What happens when sacred assets stop preserving the past — and start funding holy disruption?
	Complexified Building God, Fearing Doom: The Theology of Superintelligence Rev. Amanda Henderson Inside parts of Silicon Valley, AI is not just a tool. It is a vision of salvation, extinction and a future beyond the human.