Pope Leo seeks status update of Francis’s divisive look at divorced and remarried Catholics

Pope Leo XIV is inviting Church leaders to Rome next week for a weeklong, closed-door conference to review how the 2016 document Amoris Laetitia has been applied in local communities. The meeting, which begins Wednesday, follows the ten year anniversary of the text released by Pope Francis.

Vatican officials stated Friday that the conference is not intended to rewrite, amend, or scrap the document. Instead, the gathering aims to understand how bishops have incorporated the teachings into their pastoral communities.

Amoris Laetitia addressed various issues regarding how the Church ministers to families. The text remains controversial because it suggested that bishops and priests could allow civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion on a case-by-case basis following a process of spiritual discernment. This differs from traditional Church teaching, which requires an annulment to declare a first marriage invalid before remarried individuals can receive the sacraments.