Pope Francis Urges More Acceptance of Divorced Catholics

On Friday, April 8th, Pope Francis issued a document known as the "Amoris Laetitia," which is Latin for "The Joy of Love," where he called for priests to be less judgmental towards divorced Catholics, gays, and lesbians.

Source: New York Times

The document does not actually change any church laws or church doctrine on homosexuality, marriage, or birth control. In fact, the document still states that "the church cannot countenance same-sex marriages and unions" (New York Times), and that marriage between a man and a woman is still the Catholic ideal. However, it does urge more tolerance and acceptance. The Pope "emphasizes that "unjust discrimination" against gays and lesbians is unacceptable, downplays the idea of "living in sin" and suggests that priests should use their own discretion on whether divorced Catholics in new marriages can take Communion" (CNN).

This document comes after two synods, which are church councils of high-level bishops who come together to talk about these contentious issues. They discussed how the church should deal with people who are not living in accordance to the "Christian ideal of the intact, nuclear, family" (New York Times). The Pope has adopted some of the solutions discussed in these synods, including its solutions for divorced and remarried Catholics to be able to talk to priests in order to see how they can continue to participate in the Church.

Some believe that this is a good step in the right direction for the Church. However, some liberal Catholics do not believe that this has gone far enough, as the document still rejects same-sex marriages and unions. In addition, many conservative Catholics are concerned that this undermines Church values and could lead to a slippery slope.

Questions:
How do you think this will affect the lives of Catholics around the world?
Do you think this document was a good move for the Catholic Church, or did it go too far, or not far enough?

Sources: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/world/europe/pope-francis-amoris-laetitia.html
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/08/europe/vatican-pope-family/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/08/pope-francis-releases-key-text-family-matters/82782602/
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-softens-communion-ban-divorcees-shifts-tone-family-n552811
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-long-awaited-document-on-the-family-pope-francis-offers-hope-to-divorced-catholics-says-no-to-gay-marriage/2016/04/07/87be6dae-fb42-11e5-813a-90ab563f0dde_story.html