FutureChurch was honored to welcome Fr. Charles Curran as the keynote speaker for our Annual Fall Event held on September 22nd. He presented The Joy of Love: The Role of Conscience, commenting on both the 2-year synod process and the final apsotolic exhortation.

A popular priest, theologian and teacher in the area of Catholic Moral Theology, Fr. Curran offered four main take-aways, primarily from chapter eight of Amoris Laetitia:

1. Pope Francis reaffirms the notion of gradualism - the need to hold onto the full ideal of marriage and while allowing for stages of personal growth.
2. Rules are not enough. There is a difference between objective morality and subjective culpability. in the midst of specificity and complexity, the general rule might not be binding.
3. The Magisterium cannot decide everything or provide a new set of general rules canonical in nature and applicable in all cases.
4. The role of conscience is extremely important because of the complexities involved in various situations.

Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher joined us by live stream to receive the 2016 Trivison Award. FutureChurch honored Archbishop Durocher for his leadership at the 2015 Family Synod when he made international news for his invitation to the bishops gathered to open discussion on women deacons, expand women's leadership in the Church, and to find ways to end violence against women. In his remarks, Archbishop Durocher affirmed the connection between the treatment of women in the world and the treatment of women in the Church calling for Catholics to find new ways to reduce violence against women and to open new doors for women's leadership and ministry. His remarks can be found on his blog at singandwalk.blogspot.com.