Here’s a list categorizing papal documents:
https://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/pontiff/categories.asp
Amoris Laetitia is an apostolic exhortation.
“...Apostolic Exhortation
A category of document similar to an Apostolic Letter, which Pope John Paul II uses to communicate to the Church the conclusions he has reached after consideration of the recommendations of a Synod of Bishops. He has also used it in other circumstances, such as to exhort religious to a deeper evangelical life...”
Amoris Laetitia doesn’t meet the requirements of an ex cathedra (from the chair) pronouncement, because Francis hasn’t officially used the full authority of his papacy to declare it, nor officially bound the whole Church to obey it.
It’s essentially a post-synod response paper. Any contradictions to the Deposit of Faith contained therein must be refuted.
Thank you, I need to read up on it
Thanks for posting I was about to post something similar. You and others may find this interview of Fr. Dwight Longenecker interesting:
http://www.sonrisemorningshow.com/podcastgen/media/2016-04-14_sonrise_2016_04_13.mp3
It starts around 23:30.
Both Synods came out strong against communion for the shacked up and anything do with recognizing “irregular unions”. This is all Bergoglio. It’s what he wants. He could care less about 2,000 years of Church teachings and Doctrine. Like I’ve said before he was the first Jesuit selected as pope and he’ll be the last. The Jesuits in the last 50 years have turned into nothing in the world but the left-wing of the Catholic Church. Everything they do is against the Church. At one time they were a great order, fighting for the Word of God. Now if they were completely relegated to the ash heap of history I couldn’t be happier.