In face of polygamy, Christian marriage should be proposed ‘without ambiguity,’ says Pope
March 24, 2014
Pope Francis commended the bishops of Guinea-- a West African nation that ranks among the world’s 15 poorest-- for the work of evangelization that has been accomplished there and said that “discords among Christians are the greatest obstacle to evangelization.”
“The Church has need of communion among yourselves and with the Successor of Peter,” he said.
“Our existence must be consistent with the Gospel we proclaim,” the Pope added, as he called upon bishops to support catechists and families. The “Christian model” of the family, he added, “must be proposed and lived without ambiguity, when polygamy is still widespread and mixed marriages increasingly frequent.”
The Pope also called upon seminarians to “learn to live in truth the requirements of ecclesiastical celibacy, and the proper relationship to material goods, the rejection of worldliness and careerism-- for the priesthood is not a means of social ascent-- as well as a real engagement alongside the most poor.”
The nation of 10 million is 85% Muslim and 10% Catholic.
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