Irregular Marital Situations and Valorization of Conscience in the Light of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia

Rezultati dviju održanih biskupskih sinoda o obitelji iz 2014. i 2015. su proklamacija reforme kanonskog postupka za proglašenje ništavosti ženidbe i posinodalna apostolska pobudnica Amoris laetitia. Posinodalnom apostolskom pobudnicom nije došlo do promjene u moralnoj teologiji ili nauku o nerazrješivosti ženidbe već je naglasak na promjeni pastoralne djelatnosti Crkve. Sagledavanje konkretne osobe u njezinim životnim okolnostima, danas često u tzv. neregularnim bračnim situacijama, zahtijeva pastoralno razlučivanje te papa Franjo upozorava da se ne smiju izjednačavati sve situacije u kojima se može naći pojedini vjernik. U prvom dijelu rada interpretira se stoga važnost i značenje posinodalne apostolske pobudnice s obzirom na valorizaciju osobne savjesti i njezin odnos prema zakonu. Temeljna načela posinodalne apostolske pobudnice su prihvaćanje, praćenje, razlučivanje i uključivanje te u svjetlu tih načela potrebno je iznaći rješenja za pojedine situacije. Među prvima su argentinski biskupi pastoralne regije Buenos Airesa uputili svećenicima dokument koji sadrži deset temeljnih kriterija o mogućnosti pojedinačnog, kao izuzetak, dopuštanja rastavljenima i ponovno civilno vjenčanima primanje sakramenata pomirenja i euharistije i to samo u slučajevima kada su ispunjeni određeni uvjeti. Međutim, osim o osobnom i pastoralnom razlučivanju može se kao mogućnost promišljati i o sudskom razlučivanju, koje se odvija u postupku proglašenja ništavosti ženidbe, o čemu je riječ u drugom dijelu rada. Pristup crkvenom sudu otvoren je svim osobama bez obzira na to jesu li već u novom građanskom braku ili nisu, a uvjereni su ili dvoje da je njihova kanonsko sklopljena ženidba bila nevaljano sklopljena. Reformom kanonskog postupka naglasak je stavljen na pastoralno djelovanje crkvenih sudova, na predprocesnu ili pastoralnu istragu te novo vrednovanje dokaza.The results of the two synods of bishops on the family held in 2014 and 2015 are the proclamation of the reform of the canonical procedure for the declaration of nullity of marriage and the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation has not brought about a change in moral theology or the doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage, but the emphasis is on a change in the pastoral activity of the Church. Looking at a specific person in his/her life circumstances, today often in so-called irregular marital situations, requires pastoral discernment, and Pope Francis warns that all situations in which an individual believer may find himself/herself should not be equated. Therefore, the first part of the paper explains the importance and meaning of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation regarding the valorisation of personal conscience and its relation to the law. The fundamental principles of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation are acceptance, guiding, discernment and inclusion, and in the light of these principles it is necessary to find solutions for individual situations. Among the first, the Argentine bishops of the pastoral region of Buenos Aires sent the priests a document containing ten basic criteria on the possibility of individual permission, as an exception, to the divorced and civilly remarried to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, and only in cases where certain conditions are met. However, in addition to personal and pastoral discernment, it is also possible to think about judicial discernment, which takes place in the process of declaring the nullity of a marriage, which is discussed in the second part of the paper. Access to the ecclesiastical court is open to all persons, regardless of whether they are already in a new civil marriage or not, and whether they are convinced, or doubt, that their canonically concluded marriage was invalidly concluded. With the reform of the canonical procedure, the emphasis is placed on the pastoral activity of the church courts, on the pre-trial or pastoral investigation and the new evaluation of evidence