in september 2016, four cardinals (raymond burke, carlo caffarra, walter brandmüller, joachim meisner) asked pope francis in a private letter for clarifications regarding chapter 8 of "amoris laetitia". the letter contained five questions ("dubia"), and requested a yes or no answer. the cardinals publicized their letter in november 2016 after not receiving a response from pope francis. their questions focus on "whether there are now circumstances under which divorced and remarried persons can receive communion, whether there are still 'absolute moral norms' that prohibit catholics from taking certain acts, and how the pope understands catholic teaching on the role of conscience in making moral decisions."