Posted on 05/28/2005 10:07:57 AM PDT by abu afak
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 (news - web sites) 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."
as should little boys.
as should melons.
The truth is, not all roman catholics are roman catholics, and not all muslims are muslims.. After that it gets very complicated..
Clumsy wording. More respect for gender inequality, in that each sex has different natures, goals, firmware, and therefore different jobs, each polarity's job being equally important and each job being equally deserving of respect and humility.
Of which Muslims appear to have no grasp or clue.
How hateful of them! </sarcasm off>
Any woman who considers her children 'his property' would have no problem marrying a Muslim.
Doesn't matter, This story is still very relevant.
That being said, I have trouble sympathizing with these Western women who marry muslim men and then cry about horrible their lives have become. There are countless stories of the plight of these women. All I can say is, "Well, duh? What were you thinking?"
For a Western woman to marry a muslim and then complain how abusive and controlling he is would be like marrying a known pedophile and then complain that he's screwing the kids!
...or AT LEAST make sure HIS car is separately insured and he keeps all his C-4 WAY out in the garden shed.
Only one thing I don't get. Why limit the warning to Catholic women? Surely it's no better for a Catholic man to take a muslim bride?
??
Are you just bookmarking/saving this string by Linking to it IN the string? ? ?
That's a no brainer.
btt
MAJOR no brainer.
I like your graphic, JP!
Catholics should marry other Catholics.
Maybe because you men know better?
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