The Vatican will issue a new document on marriage later this month, addressing the question of polygamy in Africa amid continuing pastoral and cultural debate. Source: The Catholic Herald.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that the text, titled “We Two: In Praise of Monogamy. Doctrinal Note on the Value of Marriage, Exclusive Communion, and Mutual Belonging”, will be released at the end of November.
Fr Armando Matteo, the dicastery’s secretary, said on Tuesday that the document follows a specific request made during the Synod on Synodality for African bishops to prepare a statement on the matter.
Previous discussions during the 2014 and 2015 Synods on the Family were dominated by questions of divorce and remarriage, with several African bishops speaking about the unique challenges they faced in regions where polygamy remains widespread.
Many commentators and Vatican watchers have suggested that, unlike the recent co-redemptrix document published by the DDF, which became contentious online and among laypeople, the question of polygamy allows for a more straightforward response. It requires a simple document, since Catholic doctrine on the subject is already clearly defined.
The Church has consistently taught that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, a partnership rooted in fidelity, openness to life and mutual self-giving. The catechism describes polygamy as a practice “contrary to conjugal love, which is undivided” and incompatible with the exclusive union willed by God.
In Catholic theology, marriage mirrors the faithful love of Christ for His Church, a bond of exclusive communion and mutual belonging which cannot be divided.
However, while globally rare, in many African societies polygamy remains deeply woven into the social fabric.
Church leaders have explained that, although monogamous marriage remains the doctrinal norm, many converts to Catholicism enter the Church from polygamous backgrounds.
In such cases, bishops and priests have sought ways to integrate families into the faith community without compromising the Church’s teaching on the unity and exclusivity of marriage.
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Vatican to issue new document addressing polygamy in Africa (By Niwa Limbu, The Catholic Herald)
