Vatican reaffirms monogamous marriage as African bishops increase polygamy considerations

[ad_1] VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Tuesday doubled down on the worth of monogamous marriage between a person and lady, responding to considerations raised by African bishops in regards to the apply of polygamy of their flocks.

The doc from the Vatican’s doctrine workplace stated the Catholic Church had a well-documented place upholding the indissolubility of marriage as a lifelong union between spouses. However it stated the church’s place on the distinctive and unique nature of a monogamous marriage was much less well-known.

In recent times at Vatican conferences of bishops and in visits by teams of bishops, African delegates have usually complained that polygamy is broadly practiced amongst their flocks and requested the Vatican for steering.

“One Flesh: In Reward of Monogamy” offers them with a doctrinal doc tracing the way in which marriage has been handled within the Bible, poetry, Christian theology and philosophy and by varied popes and church councils throughout historical past.

The Vatican’s doctrine chief and writer, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, stated the textual content wasn’t a lot a condemnation of polygamy and polyamorous relations within the West because it was a celebration of the virtues and advantages of monogamy.

The message, he stated, was all about upholding the dignity of the spouses and girls particularly.

“Those that really love know that the opposite particular person can't be a method to an finish, and that one’s personal void should be crammed in different methods, by no means by dominating the partner,” he stated. “That is what occurs in lots of types of unhealthy need that result in manifestations of specific or refined violence, oppression, psychological stress, management, suffocation, to which infidelity is usually added.”

The doc is 40 pages lengthy with 256 footnotes and written solely in Italian. Within the introduction, Fernández says it’s sufficient to learn the ultimate chapter, on “conjugal charity” and the conclusion, to remove its important message.

Catholic doctrine holds that the sacrament of marriage is a lifelong, unique union between man and lady, open to new life.

The ultimate part of the brand new doc offers with sexuality, procreation and sexual attraction between {couples} and remembers Fernández’s earlier writings on the subject.

When the Argentine theologian was appointed by Pope Francis in 2023, he got here below hearth from conservatives who had unearthed an out-of-print book of his, “Heal Me with Your Mouth. The Artwork of Kissing.” A yr later, one other out-of-print Fernández title and related in tone, “The Mystical Ardour: Spirituality and Sensuality,” precipitated a stir.

The quick expose about mystical-sensual experiences with God delved into orgasms, together with graphic descriptions of female and male sexual anatomy and his commentary about sexual need, pornography, sexual satisfaction and domination, and the function of enjoyment in God’s mystical plan.

Neither title was included within the listing of publications the Vatican supplied when Francis named Fernández as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Religion and gave him marching orders to radically change the office’s course.

Fernández was the writer of one of the vital controversial paperwork of Francis’ hold forth, the 2023 doctrinal assertion permitting Catholic monks to bless same-sex couples . The assertion prompted an unprecedented rebuke by African bishops, who in a unified assertion refused to follow it.

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Related Press faith protection receives assist by the AP’s collaboration with The Dialog US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely answerable for this content material.

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