If AL gave the NCR crowd what they want in an honest manner, there would be schism and Francis seems to carefully calculate just how far he can lead people away from Catholic sexual morality and get away with it. A schism would be a failed papacy, which he surely does not intend to see happen. So he will continue to poke sticks in hornets nests and pretend he didn't.

The fact is, as soon as a priest or bishop gave one couple the green light to live out of wedlock and still receive sacraments as if in the state of grace, he must give the same to all others who seek such approval for any reason. To do otherwise would open the priest or bishop to the scandal of favoritism of all sorts, including catering to the rich. Thus, AL is a full frontal attack against Matrimony along with most of the other sacraments as well.