“Tradition is not a stagnant lake, but is like a spring, or a river: it is something alive. The Church is a living organism and thus it always needs to validly translate the Catholic tradition into present situations. This is the meaning of the renewal about which Pope John XXIII spoke”. Card. Walter Kasper, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said this with regard to the debate on Amoris Laetitia in an interview with “Vatican News” on the day of his 85th birthday. The interview was granted on the eve of the publication of his latest book entitled ‘Amoris Laetitia’s Message. A brotherly discussion’ published by Queriniana. “Debate in the Church is necessary. There is no need to fear debate!”, the theologian continued, but “there is a very bitter debate, way too strong, with accusations of heresy. A heresy is a tenacious disagreement with formal dogma. The doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage has not been called into question on Pope Francis’ part! Before saying that something is heresy, the question should be what the other person means by what has been said. And, above all, that the other person is Catholic should be presupposed, the opposite should not be supposed!”. As for “Article 351” of Amoris laetitia regarding the admission to the Sacraments of the divorced and remarried, Card. Kasper recalled that “the Council of Trent says that in the case in which there is no grave sin, but venial, the Eucharist removes that sin. Sin is a complex term. It not only includes an objective principle, but there is also the intention, the person’s conscience. And this needs to be examined in the internal forum—in the Sacrament of Reconciliation—if there is truly a grave sin, or perhaps a venial sin, or perhaps nothing. If it is only a venial sin, the person can be absolved and admitted to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This already corresponds with the doctrine of Pope John Paul II and, in this sense, Pope Francis is in complete continuity with the direction opened by preceding Popes. I do not see any reason, then, to say that this is a heresy”. “The People of God are very happy with this document because it gives space to freedom” while also interpreting “the substance of the Christian message in an understandable language”, the cardinal remarked: “So, the People of God understand! The Pope has an optimal connection with the People of God”. “Today we are living a violent time which has never before been experienced. Many people are wounded. Even in marriages there are many who are wounded”, Card. Kasper concluded: “People need mercy, empathy, the sympathy of the Church in these difficult times in which we are living today. I think that mercy is the response to the signs of our times”.