The Vatican has reaffirmed, in a new document published on November 25, the biblical truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
The document, “‘Una Caro’ (One Flesh): In praise of monogamy. Doctrinal note on the value of marriage as an exclusive union and mutual belonging,” was released after Pope Leo XIV approved its publication on November 21.
It states clearly that marriage is “the unique and exclusive union between a single woman and a single man.”
Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF); and Monsignor Armando Matteo, secretary of the doctrinal section of the DDF, authored the document.
The DDF is the Vatican’s primary doctrine department, tasked with helping “the Roman Pontiff and the (Catholic) Bishops to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world by promoting and safeguarding the integrity of Catholic teaching on faith and morals.”
The dicastery said it issued the note in response to requests from Catholic bishops in Africa where polygamy is still common and because “various public forms of non-monogamous unions – sometimes collared ‘polyamory’ – are growing in the West.”
Una Caro reflects on the nature of monogamy through a study of Sacred Scripture, a history of Christian thought, philosophy and even poetry which “push us to choose a unique and exclusive union of love.”
The document quotes from Augustine of Hippo, who reflected on the good of unity within marriage: “Fidelity requires not having sexual relations with another man or woman.”
It also quotes from the great theologian Thomas Aquinas, who described marriage as a “society of man (and) woman.”
Furthermore, Una Caro cites Pope Leo XIV, who said in a homily given for the Jubilee of Families, Grandparents and the Elderly, “Marriage is not an ideal, but the standard of true love between a man and a woman: total, faithful, fruitful love.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that polygamy “is not in accord with the moral law” (CCC 2387). It adds,
From the very beginning, Scripture teaches that God created marriage to be the exclusive union of one man and one woman.
“And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24, ESV).
This reality was reiterated by Jesus Christ, who taught, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19: 4-6, ESV).
The Vatican’s reaffirmation on the nature of marriage comes at an important time when the nature of marriage is being challenged in the Western world – both through “same-sex marriage” and polyamorous relationships.
Earlier this year, three men in a polyamorous relationship purchased a three-year-old girl from the Quebec government.
In 2020, Utah Governor Gary Herbert decriminalized polygamy in his state after near unanimous support from the state’s lawmakers. That year, Somerville, Massachusetts became the first U.S. city to legally recognize polyamorous relationships.
In 2021, two additional cities – Cambridge and Arlington – passed similar ordinances recognizing multi-partner relationships.
Furthermore, studies indicate that about 5% of Americans are currently in polyamorous relationship; only 49% of single Americans list monogamy as their “ideal sexual relationship structure”; and 24% of churchgoers ages 24 to 45 affirm consensual nonmonogamy as morally acceptable, according to sociologist Mark Regnerus.
These statistics should serve as a startlingly wakeup call to all orthodox Christians; the beauty and exclusivity of marriage must be taught and faithfully proclaimed.
Monogamy is important for the well-being of the spouses. Even secular academics have explained the essential societal benefits of monogamous marriage. But it’s also important because the exclusive union of one man and one woman represents a greater reality – that of Christ and His bride, the church.
The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:31-32, “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (ESV).
The late Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen said,
In an age that is growing increasingly tolerant of polyamorous and alternative relationships, more priests, pastors and parents must boldly teach about the nature of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
We can be grateful the Vatican has done exactly that.
Related articles and resources:
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Biblical Perspectives on Polygamy and Polyamory
10 Things Everyone Should Know About a Christian View of Homosexuality
Responding to a ‘Gay Christian’ In The Family
Openly Gay ABC News Anchor Confirmed at Catholic Church in NYC
U.S. Catholic Bishops Ban ‘Transgender’ Interventions at Catholic Hospitals
African Bishops Unite to Reject Blessings for Same-Sex Couples
Utah Decriminalizes Polygamy with Near Unanimous Support by Legislators
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