Vatican answers African bishops concerned about polygamy

The Vatican has doubled down on the value of monogamous marriage between a man and woman, responding to concerns raised by African bishops about the practice of polygamy among their flocks. The document from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith says the Catholic Church had a well-documented position upholding the indissolubility of marriage as a lifelong union between spouses, but notes that Catholicism’s insistence on monogamous marriage is less well known. At Vatican meetings of bishops, African delegates have regularly complained that polygamy is widely practiced among their flocks and asked the Vatican for guidance. A Dear One: In Praise of Monogamy provides doctrinal clarity by tracing the way marriage has been treated in the Bible, poetry, Christian theology and philosophy, and by various popes and church councils across history.