African voices in Catholic divorce debate boost conservative side

[markomalley]

From John Allen at his new gig with the Boston Globe:

In the mounting Catholic debate over whether a ban on divorced and remarried believers receiving communion and the other sacraments should be relaxed, bishops from Africa are invoking an argument against change that wouldn’t occur naturally to most Westerners: polygamy.

According to several cardinals who spoke to the Globe in Rome, African prelates told their brother cardinals last week that they’ve been trying to break the hold of polygamy in their cultures by insisting that the church regards marriage as a bond between one man and one woman for life. Anything that appears to blur that message, they said, won’t help that effort.

The African voice in the debate, in other words, appears to bolster the conservative side.

God Bless these cardinals!

(I wonder when they will start seeing retribution for taking a traditional stand )

 

[McCall1981]

From John Allen at his new gig with the Boston Globe:

In the mounting Catholic debate over whether a ban on divorced and remarried believers receiving communion and the other sacraments should be relaxed, bishops from Africa are invoking an argument against change that wouldn’t occur naturally to most Westerners: polygamy.

According to several cardinals who spoke to the Globe in Rome, African prelates told their brother cardinals last week that they’ve been trying to break the hold of polygamy in their cultures by insisting that the church regards marriage as a bond between one man and one woman for life. Anything that appears to blur that message, they said, won’t help that effort.

The African voice in the debate, in other words, appears to bolster the conservative side.

God Bless these cardinals!

(I wonder when they will start seeing retribution for taking a traditional stand )

Not thrilled with the use of the word “conservative” here (it’s a little politicizing, and I think it’s better to think in terms of orthodoxy/heterodoxy, rather than left vs right), but the sentiment of the article is great!

Indeed, God bless the African Cardinals

 

[markomalley]

Not thrilled with the use of the word “conservative” here (it’s a little politicizing, and I think it’s better to think in terms of orthodoxy/heterodoxy, rather than left vs right), but the sentiment of the article is great!

Indeed, God bless the African Cardinals

Not supporting libertine values is very likely the definition of “conservative” in the Boston Globe’s editorial handbook.

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

Not supporting libertine values is very likely the definition of “conservative” in the Boston Globe’s editorial handbook.

This is a valid point, but doesn’t only hold true to the Boston Gobe editorial handbook.

The fact of the matter is that conservatives (from a political standpoint) support traditional marriage, opposing non-traditional forms, whereas liberals (from a political standpoint) although not opposed to traditional marriage, are open to other forms of marriage in a non-traditional sense.

Ironically, polygamy quite possibly is the traditional form over there, although I could be wrong about that.

 

[SuperLuigi]

Not thrilled with the use of the word “conservative” here (it’s a little politicizing, and I think it’s better to think in terms of orthodoxy/heterodoxy, rather than left vs right), but the sentiment of the article is great!

Indeed, God bless the African Cardinals

It’s good to point out that distinction.

 

[RPRPsych]

Not thrilled with the use of the word “conservative” here (it’s a little politicizing, and I think it’s better to think in terms of orthodoxy/heterodoxy, rather than left vs right), but the sentiment of the article is great!

Indeed, God bless the African Cardinals

I agree!

 

[manualman]

If patriarchal polygamy is an accepted traditional practice in some of these areas, then the orthodox catholic bishops are actually the radical liberals, eh? Fun stuff!

 

[RPRPsych]

If patriarchal polygamy is an accepted traditional practice in some of these areas, then the orthodox catholic bishops are actually the radical liberals, eh? Fun stuff!

I never looked at it that way, but: