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...today at the Vatican, Pope Leo addressed the issue of cohabitation with these words: “Perhaps many young people today, who choose cohabitation instead of Christian marriage, actually need someone who, in a concrete and understandable way—especially by the example of their life—shows them what the gift of sacramental grace is and what strength it brings; someone who helps them understand ‘the beauty and greatness of the vocation to love and to the service of life’ that God gives to spouses (St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, 1).” Out of love and concern for His creatures, God has taught...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV: "Marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful and fruitful"As soon as we were born, we needed others in order to live; left to ourselves, we would not have survived. Someone else saved us by caring for us in body and spirit. All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.That human kindness is sometimes betrayed. As for example, whenever freedom is invoked not to give life, but to...

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One morning, a Greek woman makes coffee. By sunset, she decided to end her marriage because ChatGPT told her that her husband was cheating. Yes, you read that correctly, AI is now a marriage counsellor and has evidence while brewing drama. When AI meets coffee Forget therapy sessions and horoscopes. In 2025, you can snap a photo of leftover Greek coffee, upload it to ChatGPT, and let that machine spirit inform you of your fate—or, in this specific case, your husband’s supposed affair with a mystery woman whose name begins with “E.” According to Greek media, the woman in question...

In a recent message, I explained the concept of men being servant leaders in their homes, and to their wives. I explained how most modern marriages are set up for failure right from the start, when both partners expect to give 50% of their effort toward the relationship. A 50-50 situation is most common today, as wives expect their husbands to contribute half of everything and the husband expects the wife to contribute the other half. By our human reasoning, this sounds like the ideal situation, but as I explained previously, when each partner contributes 50%, that means that each...

Former President Barack Obama was spotted going out to dinner with his daughters in Los Angeles on Saturday night — but former first lady Michele Obama was nowhere to be found as rumors of marriage problems continue to swirl. Obama, 63, with daughters Sasha, 23, and Malia, 26, broke bread at upscale Japanese restaurant Hamasaku on Santa Monica Boulevard, which has been a favorite of the family since at least 2022, according to images of the dinner. Despite the conspicuous absence of Michelle, eagle-eyed relationship monitors noticed that the former president was wearing his wedding ring.

In my work as a Christian newspaper publisher, radio commentator at TV host, I often have people contact me requesting prayer and counseling. Most all who come for prayer and counsel are Christians. They come in various stages of spiritual maturity. Some are baby Christians, some have been following the Lord for years, and the vast majority of requests I get are for those in troubled marriages and families. So today, I’d like to talk about marriage and family, and I hope and pray you’ll hear and understand what I have to say and put my advice into action. It’s...

new study led by researchers at Florida State University somewhat shockingly suggests that married people are more likely to develop dementia.Would you believe me if I told you that staying single or ending your marriage could lower your odds of getting dementia? A 2019 study from America found that unmarried people had “significantly higher odds of developing dementia over the study period than their married counterparts”. Indeed, married people are generally thought to have better health. Studies have shown that they are at reduced risk of having heart disease and stroke and they tend to live longer. So why...

With increasing polarization in the U.S., political discussions between friends and family members from different parties can be fraught. But how do these political factors influence people’s love lives? We know little about how often people in romantic relationships have political disagreements and whether political differences affect couples’ happiness, or whether some couples navigate these differences better than others. To address these questions, we surveyed over 4,000 people in the U.S., including more than 500 couples. Political differences in our large sample of couples were relatively rare: Only about 23% of couples belonged to different parties, and fewer than 8%...

The trend among Chinese women of postponing or eschewing marriage will undermine Beijing’s efforts to boost falling birth rates, says Yi Fuxian of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.New marriages in China reportedly plummeted by one-fifth last year, implying that the official number of births will likely fall from 9.54 million in 2024 to between 7.3 million and 7.8 million in 2025. Thus, while China represents 17.2 per cent of the global population, it will account for less than 6 per cent of births – comparable to Nigeria. Moreover, China’s fertility rate in 2025 is expected to fall to 0.9 births per...

Once upon a time, it was fairly common for highly educated men in the United States to marry less-educated women. But beginning in the mid-20th century, as more women started to attend college, marriages seemed to move in a more egalitarian direction, at least in one respect: A greater number of men and women started partnering up with their educational equals. That trend, however, appears to have stalled and even reversed in recent years. Gaps in educational experience among heterosexual couples are growing again. And this time? It’s women who are “marrying down.”

After a handful of underwhelming relationships and dozens of disappointing first dates, Andrea Vorlicek recently called off the search for a husband. The 29-year-old always thought she’d have found her life partner by now. Instead, she’s house hunting solo and considering having kids on her own. “I’m financially self-sufficient enough to do these things myself,” said Vorlicek, a Boston-based accountant. “I’m willing to accept being single versus settling for someone who isn’t the right fit.” She sees her plans for an independent future as making the best of a lousy situation. “I don’t want to sit here and say I’m...

Feb. 4-17 is National Marriage Week. It may sound prosaic, but it couldn't be more important. As marriage goes, so goes the nation. Without marriage, we become a nation of increasingly isolated, self-absorbed individuals, which is why the decline of marriage is so ominous. In 1970, married couples were 71% of U.S. households. By 2022, they were 47%. In 1962, 90% of 30-year-olds were married. By 2019, that figure had fallen to 51%.

A long time ago, in an America far, far, away, there was a time when everyday people could have political differences without it affecting their relationships. It appears America has drifted light years away from these days. Over the past decade, there seems to have been an increase in marriages breaking up because of political differences – especially when it comes to President Donald Trump. Now that he is in his second term, this issue seems to be persisting. Slate’s Scaachi Koul wrote an article on Tuesday telling the stories of three progressive women who were having marital problems that...

Ukrainian-Russian couples have long been common, a reflection of the deeply intertwined history the two countries share. Many Ukrainians have relatives in Russia, and vice versa, and travel between the two countries was common before the war. Roman and Liliya Roman Romanenko, 33, already got the call from the military and answered it, but that took him even farther from his 34-year-old wife, Liliya, who lives in St. Petersburg. The couple met online and were married on Jan. 20, 2022 — he had planned to join her in Russia a few months later. The February invasion upended those plans, Roman...

A conservative influencer claimed she gave birth to a child fathered by Elon Musk in a shocking public declaration on social media. Author Ashley St. Clair, 31, alleged in an X post Friday night that she and Elon Musk share a 5-month-old child. “Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” read her statement, which was captioned “Alea lacta est,” Latin for “the die is cast.” “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to...

Marriages in China plummeted by a fifth last year, the biggest drop on record, despite manifold efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed and have children to boost the country's declining population. Declining interest in getting married and starting a family has long been blamed on the high cost of childcare and education in China. On top of that, sputtering economic growth over the past few years has made it difficult for university graduates to find work and those that do have jobs feel insecure about their long-term prospects. More than 6.1 million couples registered for marriage last...

From Taylor Swift to Nicole Kidman, many high-profile female celebrities earn more than their partners. Their partners - Travis Kelce and Keith Urban - seem fairly happy with their setups, but a new study has warned that the same isn't true across the board. If you truly want a happy life, scientists from the University of Durham say it's better for the male partner to be the higher earner.

Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed opposes the ban, citing how common it is in Eastern cultures.

Governor Kathy Hochul signs bill removing outdated adultery statute from state law New York has officially closed the chapter on one of its most outdated laws—adultery, which had been criminalized since 1907 and punishable by up to three months of jail time. On November 22, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill repealing this archaic statute, recognizing its growing irrelevance over the decades.