Vatican Urges Catholics to Embrace Faithful Marriage, Reject Multiple Relationships
There is no need for a complicated formula to be happy all the time. At least that is what the Vatican says. It was announced on Tuesday that Catholics should have one partner in their lives. According to them, happiness can be achieved by choosing one life partner, rather than having multiple sexual relationships.
According to Reuters, the Vatican’s Doctrinal Office has published a new decree. The directive, approved by Pope Leo, tells the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to choose only one partner in their lives, not multiple sexual relationships.
The Vatican has strongly criticized the practice of polygamy among church members and the general public in Africa. They reiterated that in their view, marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. The directive does not say anything about same-sex relationships. Rather, it emphasizes the ‘prosperity, benefits, and fruitfulness of traditional marriage.’ It is said that Catholics should find a partner and commit to him.
The new decree states that ‘every true marriage is a single bond between two people. The relationship is so intimate, so all-encompassing that it cannot be shared with anyone else.’ It also says, ‘Since marriage is the union of two people of equal dignity and equal rights, it demands unity.’
Two synods were held at the Vatican in 2023 and 2024 on how to further strengthen the Church’s teaching on marriage. At the initiative of the late Pope Francis, more than a hundred cardinals and bishops discussed the future of Catholic practice.
Polygamy in Africa—where many Catholics have multiple relationships as a long-standing cultural tradition—was the most heated topic of discussion. The rise of polyamorous structures in Western countries, where many people have multiple partners, was also discussed.
The new decree says, ‘Polygamy, extramarital affairs or polyamory are based on the illusion that the depth of the relationship can be found in one new face after another.’ The document does not mention divorce. The church does not recognize divorce because, according to them, marriage is permanent. However, the church has an annulment process, which checks whether the marriage was validly concluded or not. They also emphasize that no partner is forced to stay in an abusive relationship.
