Posted on 11/30/2005 3:48:21 PM PST by Nachum
The head of the Italys Roman Catholic episcopal conference has called on priests to advise Catholics against marrying Muslims.
Cultural differences over issues such as the role of women and the education of children made such partnerships very difficult, said Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vicar General of Rome.
In a document released to the conference of bishops yesterday, Cardinal Ruini wrote: "The experience of recent years leads us as a general rule to advise against or in any case to discourage these marriages.
"Mixed Catholic and Muslim couples who intend to have a family have other difficulties above and beyond those experienced by other couples, when one considers cultural and religious diversity," wrote Cardinal Ruini, who is 74.
If a Catholic must marry a Muslim, Cardinal Ruini wrote, then it is best if the couple remain in Italy "or at least in the West, which offers better guarantees to the marriage (to the Catholic part in particular)... Otherwise the majority of cases go less well when the couple transfers to an Islamic country."
Cardinal Ruini expressed his concern at a growing number of mixed-faith marriages in Italy, which he called "intrinsically fragile". According to the Italian statistics office ISTAT, there were more than 19,000 such marriages in Italy last year.
According to Cardinal Ruini, among the "delicate problems" faced by Catholics who marry Muslims are differences over the role of women and questions of education.
Cardinal Ruini, a conservative thinker close to Pope John Paul II, has been nicknamed "Cardinal Rovini" and "Cardinal Ruins" for his high-profile contributions to social questions in Italy in the past.
Seems logical to me.
Madonn' amia!
Why would anybody want to marry someone who might have a profound religious experience in the middle of the night and saw their head off.
I dated a girl from Iran that was a Muslim statistically, but who hadn't set foot in a mosque since she was 9.
I thought Catholics were not supposed to marry non-Catholics?
I do not know a lot about Catholics please don't bite my head off! :)
Here is a recent story about an American who married a muslim, and lived in Afghanistan:
http://www.meforum.org/article/794
The secular Iranians who ran away after the fall of the Shah are very westernized.
A delicate and diplomatic way to say it.
One should probably extend that recommendation to all non-Muslims.
I have an online friend who is a muslim woman living in this country. It's really quite interesting. She felt more threatened in Pakistan by her fellow muslims than she feels here living amoung Christians and Jews.
It would be much more meaningful for the warning to be for Italian women not to marry Muslim men. Because odds are his behavior will change for the worse once married, he will beat you, he will have other wives you weren't told about and you will be treated as a Muslim baby factory. Italian men marrying Muslim women just doesn't happen. The Muslim ummah will not allow a breeding age women to defect. Will not allow a womb to be lost to Islam
I don't think anyone who's really Christian needs to be told this.
"Italian men marrying Muslim women just doesn't happen"
They don't wear burkas for nothing...
Was she hot?
Any devoutly reigious person should not marry outside of their Faith. Marriage and raising children is difficult enough with the inevitable small disagreements that come along. This is the last thing you need.
No, it's allowed, but, speaking from my experience, it ain't smart.
As Kramer would say, "Giddyup !"
I guess she had abortion
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.