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Proposed by Benedict XVI on meeting Bishops of the United States of America

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Reasoned defense of Christian marriage

I t is urgent and necessary to take another look at marriage preparation programs especially to help the youth, who seem to be unaware that the practice of cohabitation is "gravely sinful", in order to rediscover the true meaning of marriage between a man and woman. The Pope said this to the Bishops of Regions VI I , VI I I and I X of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, whom he received on Friday morning, 9 March, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit. Dear Brother Bishops, I greet all of y ou with fraternal affection on the occasion of y our v isit ad limina Apostolorum. As y ou know, this y ear I wish to reflect with y ou on certain aspects of the ev angelization of Am erican culture in the light of the intellectual and ethical challenges of the present m om ent. In our prev ious m eetings I acknowledged our concern about threats to freedom of conscience, religion and worship which need to be addressed urgently , so that all m en and wom en of faith, and the institutions they inspire, can act in accordance with their deepest m oral conv ictions. In this talk I would like to discuss another serious issue which y ou raised with m e during m y Pastoral Visit to Am erica, nam ely , the contem porary crisis of m arriage and the fam ily , and, m ore generally , of the Christian v ision of hum an .

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sexuality . It is in fact increasingly ev ident that a weakened appreciation of the indissolubility of the m arriage cov enant, and the widespread rejection of a responsible, m ature sexual ethic grounded in the practice of chastity , hav e led to grav e societal problem s bearing an im m ense hum an and econom ic cost. Yet, as Blessed John Paul II observ ed, the future of hum anity passes by way of the fam ily (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). Indeed, the good that the Church and society as a whole expect from m arriage and from the fam ily founded on m arriage is so great as to call for full pastoral com m itm ent to this particular area. Marriage and the fam ily are institutions that m ust be prom oted and defended from ev ery possible m isrepresentation of their true nature, since whatev er is injurious to them is injurious to society itself (Sacramentum Caritatis, 2 9 ). In this regard, particular m ention m ust be m ade of the powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of m arriage. The Churchs conscientious effort to resist this pressure calls for a reasoned defense of m arriage as a natural institution consisting of a specific com m union of persons, essentially rooted in the com plem entarity of the sexes and oriented to procreation. Sexual differences cannot be dism issed as irrelev ant to the definition of m arriage. Defending the institution of m arriage as a social reality is ultim ately a question of justice, since it entails safeguarding the good of the entire hum an com m unity and the rights of parents and children alike. In our conv ersations, som e of y ou hav e pointed with concern to the growing difficulties encountered in com m unicating the Churchs teaching on m arriage and the fam ily in its integrity , and to a decrease in the num ber of y oung people who approach the sacram ent of m atrim ony . Certainly we m ust acknowledge deficiencies in the catechesis of recent decades, which failed at tim es to com m unicate the rich heritage of Catholic teaching on m arriage as a natural institution elev ated by Christ to the dignity of a sacram ent, the v ocation of Christian spouses in society and in the Church, and the practice of m arital chastity . This teaching, stated with increasing clarity by the post-conciliar m agisterium and com prehensiv ely presented in both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, needs to be restored to its proper place in preaching and catechetical instruction. On the practical lev el, m arriage preparation program s m ust be carefully rev iewed to ensure that there is greater concentration on their catechetical com ponent and their presentation of the social and ecclesial responsibilities entailed by Christian m arriage. In this context we cannot ov erlook the serious pastoral problem presented by the widespread practice of cohabitation, often by couples who seem unaware that it is grav ely sinful, not to m ention dam aging to the stability of society . I encourage y our

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efforts to dev elop clear pastoral and liturgical norm s for the worthy celebration of m atrim ony which em body an unam biguous witness to the objectiv e dem ands of Christian m orality , while showing sensitiv ity and concern for y oung couples. Here too I would express m y appreciation of the pastoral program s which y ou are prom oting in y our Dioceses and, in particular, the clear and authoritativ e presentation of the Churchs teaching found in y our 2 009 Letter Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan. I also appreciate all that y our parishes, schools and charitable agencies do daily to support fam ilies and to reach out to those in difficult m arital situations, especially the div orced and separated, single parents, teenage m others and wom en considering abortion, as well as children suffering the tragic effects of fam ily breakdown. In this great pastoral effort there is an urgent need for the entire Christian com m unity to recov er an appreciation of the v irtue of chastity . The integrating and liberating function of this v irtue (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2 3 3 8-2 3 4 3 ) should be em phasized by a form ation of the heart, which presents the Christian understanding of sexuality as a source of genuine freedom , happiness and the fulfilm ent of our fundam ental and innate hum an v ocation to lov e. It is not m erely a question of presenting argum ents, but of appealing to an integrated, consistent and uplifting v ision of hum an sexuality . The richness of this v ision is m ore sound and appealing than the perm issiv e ideologies exalted in som e quarters; these in fact constitute a powerful and destructiv e form of counter-catechesis for the y oung. Young people need to encounter the Churchs teaching in its integrity , challenging and countercultural as that teaching m ay be; m ore im portantly , they need to see it em bodied by faithful m arried couples who bear conv incing witness to its truth. They also need to be supported as they struggle to m ake wise choices at a difficult and confusing tim e in their liv es. Chastity , as the Catechism rem inds us, inv olv es an ongoing apprenticeship in self-m astery which is a training in hum an freedom (2 3 3 9 ). In a society which increasingly tends to m isunderstand and ev en ridicule this essential dim ension of Christian teaching, y oung people need to be reassured that if we let Christ into our liv es, we lose nothing, absolutely nothing, of what m akes life free, beautiful and great (Homily, I naugural Mass of the Pontificate, 2 4 April 2 005). Let m e conclude by recalling that all our efforts in this area are ultim ately concerned with the good of children, who hav e a fundam ental right to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in hum an relationships. Children are the greatest treasure and the future of ev ery society : truly caring for them m eans recognizing our responsibility to teach, defend and liv e the m oral v irtues which are the key to hum an fulfillm ent. It is m y hope that the Church in the United States, howev er chastened by the ev ents of the past decade, will persev ere in its historic m ission of educating the y oung and thus contribute to the consolidation of that sound fam ily life which is the surest guarantee of intergenerational solidarity and the health of society as a whole. I now com m end y ou and y our brother Bishops, with the flock entrusted to y our pastoral care, to the lov ing intercession of the Holy Fam ily of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. To all of y ou I willingly im part m y

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Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom , strength and peace in the Lord. March 1 0, 2 01 2 [tags: Benedict XVI | Episcopate]

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