{"id":403676,"date":"2025-11-25T13:31:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/403676\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T13:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:31:13","slug":"doctrine-of-the-faith-monogamy-is-not-a-limitation-but-a-promise-of-the-infinite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/403676\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctrine of the Faith: Monogamy is not a limitation but a promise of the infinite"},"content":{"rendered":"

The doctrinal Note Una caro. In Praise of Monogamy has been published, exploring the value of marriage as an \u201cexclusive union and mutual belonging.\u201d It highlights the importance of conjugal charity and attentiveness to the poor, and condemns all forms of violence, both physical and psychological. In an individualistic and consumerist age, young people must be educated to understand love as responsibility and trust in the other.<\/p>\n

By Isabella Piro<\/b><\/p>\n

Marriage is defined as \u201can indissoluble unity\u201d by the doctrinal Note of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), calling it an \u201cexclusive union and mutual belonging.\u201d Fittingly, the document\u2014approved by Pope Leo XIV on 21 November, the liturgical memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and presented to the press today, 25 November\u2014bears the title Una caro (one flesh). In Praise of Monogamy.<\/p>\n

It explains that only two people can give themselves fully and completely to one another; otherwise, the gift becomes partial and fails to respect the other\u2019s dignity.<\/p>\n

Reasons for the document <\/p>\n

The text is driven by three main concerns. First, as Cardinal Prefect V\u00edctor Manuel Fern\u00e1ndez writes in the introduction, is the current \u201cglobal context of expanding technological power.\u201d This leads human beings to see themselves as \u201ccreatures without limits\u201d and thus distant from the value of exclusive love reserved for one person.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The DDF defines marriage as \u201can indissoluble unity\u201d\n <\/p>\n

The document also refers to discussions with African bishops regarding polygamy, noting that \u201cin-depth studies of African cultures\u201d contradict the common assumption that monogamous marriage is exceptional there. Finally, it notes the rise in the West of \u201cpolyamory,\u201d meaning public forms of non-monogamous unions.<\/p>\n

Conjugal unity and the union between Christ and the Church <\/p>\n

In this context, the DDF seeks to emphasize the beauty of conjugal unity which, \u201cwith the help of grace,\u201d mirrors \u201cthe union between Christ and his beloved bride, the Church.\u201d Addressed primarily to bishops, the doctrinal Note is also meant to help young people, engaged couples, and spouses grasp \u201cthe richness\u201d of Christian marriage, fostering \u201ccalm reflection and sustained deepening\u201d on the topic.<\/p>\n

Belonging rooted in free consent <\/p>\n

Divided into seven chapters and a conclusion, the text reiterates that monogamy is not a limitation but the possibility of a love that opens to eternity. There are two decisive elements: mutual belonging and conjugal charity.<\/p>\n

Mutual belonging, \u201cfounded on the free consent\u201d of the spouses, reflects Trinitarian communion and becomes \u201ca strong motivation for the stability of the union.\u201d It is a \u201cbelonging of the heart, where only God sees\u201d and where only He may enter \u201cwithout disturbing the person\u2019s freedom and identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not violating the other\u2019s freedom <\/p>\n

Understood in this way, \u201cthe mutual belonging proper to exclusive reciprocal love requires delicate care, a holy fear of violating the other\u2019s freedom, who possesses the same dignity and therefore the same rights.\u201d One who loves knows that \u201cthe other cannot be used as a means to solve one\u2019s own frustrations,\u201d and that one\u2019s inner emptiness must never be filled \u201cby exercising power over the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Note deplores \u201cthe many forms of unhealthy desire that lead to explicit or subtle violence, oppression, psychological pressure, control, and ultimately suffocation.\u201d These are \u201cfailures of respect and reverence for the dignity of the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marriage is not possession <\/p>\n

By contrast, a healthy \u201cwe two\u201d entails \u201cthe reciprocity of two freedoms that are never violated but choose each other, always preserving a boundary that must not be crossed.\u201d This occurs when \u201ca person does not lose themselves in the relationship, does not merge with the beloved,\u201d respecting the nature of any healthy love, \u201cwhich never seeks to absorb the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Note adds that a couple must be able to \u201cunderstand and accept\u201d moments of reflection or requests for solitude or autonomy from either spouse. After all, \u201cmarriage is not possession,\u201d nor is it \u201ca claim to complete tranquility\u201d or a total liberation from loneliness (for only God can fill the void within a human being). Rather, it is trust and the capacity to face new challenges. At the same time, spouses are urged not to withhold themselves from each other, as \u201cwhen distance becomes too frequent, the \u2018we two\u2019 risks fading away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prayer: A precious means for growing in love <\/p>\n

Mutual belonging is also expressed in the spouses\u2019 commitment to helping each other grow as persons. Here, prayer is \u201ca precious means\u201d by which a couple can be sanctified and grow in love. In this way, conjugal charity\u2014\u201ca unifying power\u201d and \u201ca divine gift\u201d sought in prayer and nourished by the sacramental life\u2014becomes in marriage \u201cthe greatest friendship\u201d between two hearts close to one another, \u201cneighbors,\u201d who love each other and feel \u201cat home\u201d in one another.<\/p>\n

Sexuality and fruitfulness <\/p>\n

Thanks to the transforming power of charity, sexuality can be understood \u201cin body and soul,\u201d not as a mere impulse or outlet but as \u201ca marvelous gift of God\u201d that orients each person toward self-giving and the good of the other in the fullness of their person. Conjugal charity also expresses itself in fruitfulness, \u201cthough this does not mean that every sexual act must explicitly aim at procreation.\u201d Marriage retains its essential character even when it is childless. The Note also affirms the legitimacy of respecting natural periods of infertility.<\/p>\n

Social media and the need for a new approach to education <\/p>\n

In a \u201cpostmodern consumerist individualism\u201d that denies the unitive meaning of sexuality and marriage, how can faithful love be preserved? The answer, the document says, lies in education.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

\n How can faithful love be preserved? The answer, the document says, lies in education.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cThe universe of social media, where modesty vanishes and symbolic and sexual violence proliferate, shows the urgency of a new pedagogy.\u201d New generations must be prepared to welcome love as a profound human mystery, presenting it not as a mere impulse but as a call to responsibility and \u201ca capacity for hope that involves the whole person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Care for the poor: An \u201cantidote\u201d to turning in on onself <\/p>\n

The charity of conjugal union is also seen in couples who do not remain confined in their own individualism but engage in shared projects to \u201cdo something beautiful for the community and for the world,\u201d since \u201ca person fulfills themselves by entering into relationship with others and with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Otherwise, love deteriorates into selfishness, self-reference, and self-enclosure\u2014an attitude that can be countered, for example, by cultivating a \u201csocial sense\u201d within the couple as they work together for the common good. Central to this is attention to the poor, who\u2014as Pope Leo XIV says\u2014are \u201ca family matter\u201d for Christians, not merely a \u201csocial problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conjugal love as a promise of the infinite <\/p>\n

In conclusion, the Note reaffirms that \u201cevery authentic marriage is a unity composed of two individuals, requiring a relationship so intimate and totalizing that it cannot be shared with others.\u201d Thus, of the two essential properties of the marital bond\u2014unity and indissolubility\u2014it is unity that grounds indissolubility. Only then can conjugal love become a dynamic reality, called to continual growth and development over time, rooted in a \u201cpromise of the infinite.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Genesis to the teaching of the Popes <\/p>\n

The Note also offers a broad overview of the theme of monogamy: beginning with the Book of Genesis, moving through the Church Fathers and major magisterial documents, and finally reaching twentieth-century philosophers and poets. It deepens the sense of belonging expressed in the phrase \u201cwe two.\u201d For, as St Augustine said, \u201cGive me a heart that loves, and it will understand what I say.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The doctrinal Note Una caro. In Praise of Monogamy has been published, exploring the value of marriage as…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":403677,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[190798,11412,18075,50,3417,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-403676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-dicastery","9":"tag-faith","10":"tag-marriage","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pope-leo-xiv","13":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115610588672082879","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}