Pope Francis’ landmark text on the family, scheduled for release on Friday (April 8), is expected to encourage a more open attitude towards the non-nuclear family, but contain no change in church doctrine.

The Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), will be the culmination of two synods in which family matters were hotly debated by bishops. Since the second such conference concluded in October, Francis has been charged with producing a defining text to determine the Catholic Church’s way forward on everything from divorce to pornography.

The world’s 1.2 billion Catholics will likely find a push for pastoral care and a less rigid focus on doctrine.

Source:  – Religion News Service