Germany: The Bishops Propose a “New” Pastoral Care for Marriage

“Key Points for Marriage Preparation in the Light of Amoris Laetitia” is the title of the document of “new” pastoral guidelines published in recent days by the German Bishops’ Conference.

It is a slim document of six pages, in leaflet form, which—the bishops recall—is the first of in a series that was announced last year, after the decision of the Permanent Council (23 January 2017) to offer indications for the pastoral care of marriage and the family in view of accompanying, discerning, and integrating.

If “the indissolubility of marriage is an essential part of the faith of the Church,” Amoris Laetitia “dissolves all doubts about the need for different views on individual situations of life.” This explains the proposal of “renewed pastoral care marriage and the family,” starting from some focal points that will gradually be highlighted, through the publication of apposite guides (mainly addressed to pastors and family pastoral workers), for the purposes of pastoral ministry within Germany’s social and ecclesial reality.

The first step of the series deals with the AL nos. 206-211—in the context of “Guiding the Engaged Couple on the Path of Marriage Preparation”—which must be taken into account and actualized.