Apostolic constitution

Yeah.

But their practical marching orders came from a very specific document, Pope John Paul II's 1990 Apostolic Constitution, Ex Cordae Ecclesiae.

Stop right there for a second, because we aren't all theologians or canon lawyers here.

When you say an apostolic constitution and drop a Latin title like ex cordi ecclesiae, what does that actually mean in practice for a 20-year-old sitting in a lecture hall today?

That is a great question.

So it translates to from the heart of the church.

In 1990, John Paul II released this document to address a growing tension.

What kind of tension?