Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David and theologian Julie Hanlon Rubio speak at Amoris laetitia meeting

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David and theologian Julie Hanlon Rubio spoke on October 12 during a meeting marking ten years of the apostolic exhortation *Amoris laetitia*. The session, held in Vatican City, focused on accompanying and helping families through life's difficulties.

Cardinal David stated that the Church should not only ask how closely families approach an ideal, but also how willing the Church is to approach families in their real struggles.

Julie Hanlon Rubio called for a renewed vision of marriage as an intimate partnership centered on love and justice that does not demand perfection. Rubio noted that in the United States, the percentage of 40-year-olds who had never been married rose from 6 percent in 1980 to 25 percent today. She also referenced Pope Francis's teaching that no one can be condemned forever, noting that this logic of the Gospel should extend to everyone.