The latest and largest document to come from Pope Francis is his book, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), which is his considered response to two gatherings of the World Synod of Catholic bishops, held in 2014 and 2015 and devoted to family life and love.

Of special interest for any who are involved in Mercy’s ministries is a section in Chapter Eight of the pope’s book, where he talks about how pastors are to accompany and care for people whose lives are compromised in their efforts to love. It’s a section called “The logic of pastoral mercy”, and as the title suggests, Francis writes to strike a balance between maintaining the highest ideals without dimming the light and truth of the Gospel and, at the same time, supporting and encouraging those who reach beyond failure and breakdown towards a wholeness that is sometimes hard to achieve.