Posted on 05/14/2004 10:11:07 AM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican warned Catholic women on Friday to think hard before marrying a Muslim and urged Muslims to show more respect for human rights, gender equality and democracy.
Calling women "the least protected member of the Muslim family," it spoke of the "bitter experience" western Catholics had with Muslim husbands, especially if they married outside the Islamic world and later moved to his country of origin.
The comments in a document about migrants around the world were preceded by remarks about points of agreement between Christians and Muslims but they seemed likely to fuel mistrust between the world's two largest religions.
The document said the Church discouraged marriages between believers in traditionally Catholic countries and non-Christian migrants.
It hoped Muslims would show "a growing awareness that fundamental liberties, the inviolable rights of the person, the equal dignity of man and woman, the democratic principle of government and the healthy lay character of the state are principles that cannot be surrendered."
When a Catholic woman and Muslim man wanted to marry, it said, "bitter experience teaches us that a particularly careful and in-depth preparation is called for."
It said one possible problem was with Muslim in-laws and advised future mothers that they must insist on Church policy that children born of a mixed marriage be baptized and brought up as Catholics.
If the marriage is registered in the consulate of a Muslim country, the document said, the Catholic must be careful not to sign a document or swear an oath including the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith, which would amount to converting.
DIFFERENT APPROACHES
The document highlighted the contrasting approaches the Vatican has taken in recent years toward Islam, which has emerged as a strong rival for souls, especially in Africa.
Pope John Paul has broken ground in dialogue with Muslims and even prayed in a mosque in Damascus. He won plaudits in the Muslim world for his strong opposition to the Iraq war.
But Vatican officials and leading Catholic prelates have expressed increasingly critical views about the spread of Islam and the challenge this poses for Catholicism.
The Vatican's top theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, said earlier this week the West "no longer loves itself" and so was unable to respond to the challenge of Islam, which was growing because it expressed "greater spiritual energy."
The migration document also discouraged churches from letting non-Christians use their places of worship.
This issue arose last month when Muslims in Spain asked to be able to pray in Cordoba cathedral, which was once a mosque. A senior Vatican official said this would be "problematic."
And it took guts to say it.
Uh-ho. The libs aren't going to like this, no sir-ee. How dare someone urge judgement against another religion.
Same church, same statement except it referred to Jews when I was in Catholic High School.
Muslim women are half heads, per ISLAM !
I saw a movie about this based on a true story. Sally field played an American wife married to an Iranian doctor and it told of her fight to get her and her daughter out of Iran. Good movie....I think all American women should watch this movie or at least talk to women who managed to escape out Arab countries!
If so called Christians would ever read (and actually believe) the Bible they wouldn't need a a special warning for this
How about this warning:
2Cr 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
"The libs aren't going to like this,..."
Yea and your point is? ;-} I love nothing more than ticking the libs off anyway!!!
READ, what's that?
Pretty much feel the same way on both counts.
It puts muslim men in a very bad and accurate light and I agree everyone should see it.
this is a welcome follow up to the memo on wetting your finger and jamming it into a light socket.
I am glad the Vatican is finally adopting some safety regulations we can all follow.
My husband is not a Christian, and I am. However he is a conservative, Republican US citizen.
He respects me. He lets me take the kids to church. He goes with us occasionally. He treats me like an equal in our family.
This is a far cry from being married to a Muslim.
Yep....that's the movie.
What say you to this?
If so called Christians would ever read (and actually believe) the Bible they wouldn't need a a special warning for this
How about this warning:
2Cr 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Is your husband Arab?
In the eyes of left wing liberal socialists and communists, it's ok to do this to Christianity, just not to Islam. They are pretty screwed up aren't they?
Oh my. How politically incorrect. :)
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