To better understand this comment, I would refer you to the excellent post by Scott Eric Alt on Interacting With the Spaemann Interview on Amoris Laetitia ,
Now my two cents.
I’m having a problem with the Professor Spaemann’s answers and those of others of the same way of thinking. It is not impossible for anyone to disagree with something in an Apostolic Exhortation. This much is true. They are written to offer some guidance, not to teach. One can always disagree with the guidance that is offered. Before I continue, allow me to say that we can and often do teach through the guidance that we offer. Anyone who’s a parent knows exactly what I mean, but back to the professor.
I never trust these reports. It is often the case that the gaps between what the subject said and the reporter wrote are as numerous as the craters on the moon. For the sake of this discussion, let’s give the interviewer the benefit of the doubt and accept that he is reporting without too much editing.
It is my opinion that the Professor’s responses are not helpful on two fronts.
First: They present a dark side of the exhortation, but the speaker fails to give you observable results from past experiences that prove the existence of such a dark side. Philosophy works with and based on systems. I could not find that system that the professor uses to arrive at his conclusions. Therefore, I can only assume that the systems are not reported, which does not allow those of us who know some philosophy to question the methodology leading to his conclusions. The other possibility is that he is not using systematic thinking, but it projecting his predictions based on subjectivity (gut feeling).
Second: I caution people to be careful with those who claim to love the Church and to have been a consultant to this pope and a friend to that one. This can be and probably is true. Sometimes, these relationships can obscure one’s sense of duty. Even though the Professor was an advisor to St. John Paul II and a friend to Benedict XVI, as a faithful Catholic philosopher, his first allegiance is to the Church, not the individual popes. Therefore, I would expect him to use his skills and his intimate experience with these two giants to help his audience see the points of contact and continuity between AL and tradition. In no way does this detract from his right to use his intellect to say, “This can be said more clearly,” or “This raises this question that we need to submit to someone in authority to respond.”
In doing so, one is faithful to the Church, does not throw the current pope under the bus, is not sucked into the typical Church politics of “conservative vs liberals”, and helps people see the good in the exhortation while encouraging them to ask questions respectfully and with trust in the integrity of the person answering.
There was a recent event at one of the major Catholic universities in the United States that hosted as the ‘only speaker’ the national director of Planned Parenthood. Someone said that the invitation was made by a student organization with the organization’s money. This is probably true. Why would anyone lie about it?
te itself without reserve to the cause of truth. This is its way of serving at one and the same time both the dignity of man and the
I will never forget what a 10th grade student taught me a long time ago. I was teaching social studies in a high school. Mind you, I’m not a sociologist or social scientist. Our social studies teacher was on maternity leave and I was elected to cover for her. That being said, the lesson was on the United Nations’ declaration on human rights. As we were going through the highlights of the document, Chris asked me a very serious question.
As you can see from the pictures, the damage to our car is pretty extensive. It will probably cost more to repair it than what the car is worth. It’s a 12-year old car. Nonetheless, without it, we’re crippled. Because I’m in a wheelchair, public transportation is very difficult for me. One of our brothers travels 25 miles (one way) to go to school; then w
e have apostolates, medical appointments and the usual trips that most families make to the pharmacy and supermarket.
you want to make a contribution, you can visit our website and use PayPal. That is 
Magisterium of the Church, natural law, and logic.
robbers,” the action is contrary to the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” However, the five-year old is not a murderer, because he neither intended to actually kill his sibling, nor is he knowledgeable of the commandment. The action remains evil; but the child is not culpable. We can condemn behaviors, but we have to be very careful not to judge people. That would be playing God.
Seventh: Acting on faith and basing our actions on what God has disclosed to us about him, about us and about the relationship between the divine and the human is not the same as playing God. It is using that which makes us in the image and likeness of God to make right choices, that being knowledge of right and wrong.
He has to compete with other males or he has to refrain from seeing the good and the beautiful in other males, because it’s not the “manly” thing to do. He has to prove to women that he is powerful. None of this is helpful thinking.
hat men and women are our brothers and sisters. They are equally beautiful and equally worth our attention and love. Both sexes have much to offer through friendship, marriage, camaraderie, collegiality and other healthy relationships.
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Franciscans of Life 
