Introduction: Complex Situations

The articles in the July 2024 issue of the Journal of Moral Theology bring to the fore a series of anomalies for Catholic moral theology or, as one might call them, complex situations. These complex situations highlight Pope Francis’s constant maxim that reality is greater than ideas. These very realities inform his methodological vision for theology articulated in Ad Theologiam Promovendam , which itself provides a roadmap for Catholic moral theology moving forward. Only such a method—synodal, contextual, transdisciplinary, sacramental, and (in)formed by caritas—understands that what is foundational are not abstract philosophical principles but rather the necessarily complex realities of creation, human life and, therefore, the Christian moral life.