Law of Gradualness in the Post-synodal Exhortations on the Family Familiaris con-sortio and Amoris laetitia

Abstract

Moral life is a dynamic process of constant recognizing of God's will and the man’s re-sponse to God in the concrete conditions in which man finds himself. This process is marked by a specific tension between the objective and unchangeable law of God, and the changing situations and circumstances that give human choices unique character. Bearing in mind that dynamism, the Church’s pastoral reflection developed a category of gradual law that applied to marriage and family life in the exhortation of John Paul II, Familiaris consortio and later in Francis’ exhortation Amoris laetitia. The purpose of the article is to analyze both the category of the law of gradualness, its theological interpretations, and the manner in which it can be applied in the pastoral practice offered by the papal documents.