Vatican Releases New Doctrinal Note Affirming Monogamy, Addressing Gender-Based Violence
VATICAN CITY – november 25, 2023 – The Vatican today released Una Caro. In Praise of monogamy, a new doctrinal note aimed at clarifying the Catholic Church’s understanding of marriage and addressing contemporary challenges to the institution, including polygamy and polyamory. Presented by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the document emphasizes the importance of mutual respect, freedom, and equality within marital unions as a safeguard against abuse and violence.
The note, divided into seven chapters, is intended as a resource for young people, engaged couples, married couples, and bishops. It specifically addresses pastoral situations where polygamy is a cultural practice, as well as the growing prevalence of polyamory in Western societies.
Una Caro frames violence against women as stemming from “historically unequal power relations between women and men,” echoing the definition provided by the Istanbul Convention of may 11, 2011. The document stresses that “de jure and de facto equality between women and men” is “a key element” in preventing such violence.
Cardinal Fernández, quoting from the note, explained that manipulative behaviors like “harassment and infidelity” arise when the “conviction proper to true love, which stops before the sacred dimension of the other,” is lost. Conversely, “mutual belonging proper to reciprocal and exclusive love” necessitates “a delicate care, a holy fear of profaning the freedom of the other, which is the same dignity, and therefore the same rights.”
The document further asserts that individuals who “truly love” do not exploit others but seek fulfillment outside of “domination,” a principle applicable even to celibate individuals. It also cautions against justifications for disrespect rooted in “claims of complementarity,” emphasizing that each person possesses an “untransferable nucleus” that must be protected.
“The healthy and beautiful ‘us two’ can only be the reciprocity of two freedoms that are never violated, but choose each other,” the note states, urging prompt responses to “irritation” and “disrespect.” It advocates for victims to “assert his or her dignity, set the necessary limits, and begin a journey of sincere dialog,” declaring, “‘You do not possess me, you do not dominate me.'”
While the term “femicide” is not explicitly used in the document, Cardinal Fernández acknowledged its importance, stating it is “certainly a topic we still need to explore further.” He expressed satisfaction that the document’s release coincided with November 25th,a day dedicated to raising awareness about combating gender-based violence,both within civil and religious communities.