The debate over Amoris Laetitia has reopened after a letter  by Pope Francis was leaked. The Pope wrote to Buenos Aires bishops about their proposed guidelines for priests. These said that if the “responsibility and culpability” of a remarried person are “diminished”, then “Amoris Laetitia opens up the possibility of access to ... Reconciliation and the Eucharist”.

The Pope’s letter said the document “completely explains the meaning” of Amoris Laetitia’s chapter eight – the most controversial. The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published an article yesterday confirming Pope Francis had written the letter, which was addressed to the the bishops of the Buenos Aires pastoral region.