Cardinal Warns Catholic Women Against Marrying Muslim Men

[AveSantaMaria]

Cardinal Warns Catholic Women Against Marrying Muslim Men
"In Portugal the dogma of the faith will always be preserved…" The words of the Blessed Virgin Mary prior to revealing the Third Secret of Fatima.

Portugal’s Cardinal Jose Policarpo has warned young women in the predominantly Catholic nation against marrying Muslims.

“The advice that I give to young Portuguese girls is - be careful with relationships, think twice about marrying Muslims,” the patriarch of Lisbon said.

“Its is getting into a pile of troubles, that not even Allah knows where would end.”

“There are about 40,000 Muslims in Portugal, which like neighboring Spain was once ruled by Muslims from north Africa, where many Muslim immigrants come from.”

"The Vatican discourages Catholic women from marrying Muslims and Policarpo echoed that position in blunt terms.

“I know that if a young European of Christian background marries a Muslim, as soon as they go to his country, they’ll be subject to the regime of Muslim women,” Policarpo said. “Just imagine it.” Policarpo, a leading cardinal who was tipped as a contender in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict, also said dialouge with Muslims was not easy in Portugal.

“It is only possible to dialogue with those who want to have dialogue, for example with our Muslim brothers dialogue is very difficult,” he said.

realclearreligion.com/index_files/220b547e50d9ef16ed09812e5a62674d-537.html

 

[rpp]

Good advice!! Thank you Cardinal Policarp.

 

[Soutane]

The practise of Islam and the practise of Catholicism are completely incompatible.

 

[Another_Mary]

Portugal has a very low percentage of the population that is Muslim, compared to some other European countries.

I’m not sure how up-to-date these statistics are (I present several so you can make up your own mind!):

factbook.net/muslim_pop.php
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country#By_country
islamicpopulation.com/Europe/Portugal/portugal_muslim.html

Portugal is a very Catholic country. Historically, at least.

(Very proud ot be of Portuguese descent!)

 

[7_Sorrows]

i think it wise to warn Catholic women anywhere in the world not to marry a muslim man.

this Cardinal is very wise and i am glad he was not afraid to speak his mind.

 

[jen_fla]

how many Catholic women are going to want to marry a man knowing he can marry 3 other women as well? and that his religion allows him to beat her?

prayers and support to Cardinal Jose Policarpo for speaking up!

 

[rpp]

I wonder where all the Muslims on this forum are? You would think this would attract them like flies to honey.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

I would like to see all other cardinals and bishops issue this same warning. No good can come from these marriages.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I wonder where all the Muslims on this forum are? You would think this would attract them like flies to honey.

i was wondering the same thing. i’m sure they would have many comments to make about this warning.

 

[redrosetea]

There are horror stories about what happens to these women. I will share one with you

A schoolmate of my daughter had a sister that married a Saudi…This was back in the 1980. They had a baby girl and returned to Saudi Arabia for a visit

While they were there, her Saudi husband was killed in a car accident…The family immediately tried to marry her off to a cousin…She fled with the baby to a hotel, and locked herself in her room while her father got the State Dept involved…She stayed on the phone with people for support constantly…The parents had a horrible phone bill straight from hell to pay

She was finally allowed to leave the country, with her baby, but if their child would have been a boy, they would have never let it go…The State Dept told her father that flat out…

 

[7_Sorrows]

There are horror stories about what happens to these women. I will share one with you

A schoolmate of my daughter had a sister that married a Saudi…This was back in the 1980. They had a baby girl and returned to Saudi Arabia for a visit

While they were there, her Saudi husband was killed in a car accident…The family immediately tried to marry her off to a cousin…She fled with the baby to a hotel, and locked herself in her room while her father got the State Dept involved…She stayed on the phone with people for support constantly…The parents had a horrible phone bill straight from hell to pay

She was finally allowed to leave the country, with her baby, but if their child would have been a boy, they would have never let it go…The State Dept told her father that flat out…

that is a scary story! i am glad that she was able to get out with the baby.

 

[Franze]

There is a problem, and it´s that many of these marriages are a sucess, a sucess for islam, the catholic part, less practicant than the islamic part, almost all times, converts to the islamic religion and you have lost a member and their descedency. Very scaring this issue and many women don´t know and don´t want to know the perils of this relationship.
As a spanish catholic, I don´t have a lot of hope of the survival of our religion in my country and not my country either.

 

[7_Sorrows]

There is a problem, and it´s that many of these marriages are a sucess, a sucess for islam, the catholic part, less practicant than the islamic part, almost all times, converts to the islamic religion and you have lost a member and their descedency. Very scaring this issue and many women don´t know and don´t want to know the perils of this relationship.
As a spanish catholic, I don´t have a lot of hope of the survival of our religion in my country and not my country either.

i am so sad to hear this. i studied in spain in 1972-1973 and lived with a Spanish family in Madrid. Franco was still in power, so everything was different then. i loved spain. i travelled all over during my studies there. southern spain is so beautiful. the architecture, which had a strong islamic influence was beautiful. granada, sevilla, cordoba were 3 of my favorite cities. it saddens me to hear how spain has changed. i understand the muslims want the cathedral that was once a mosque to be returned to them. i don’t remember which city in southern spain it was in.
spain has such a rich history and the muslims did occupy southern spain for many hundred of years.
is the Catholic Church in Spain losing its influence?

 

[Darryl1958]

Acccordingto Islam, any children born in such a marriage will be Muslim.

 

[JReducation]

I would like to see all other cardinals and bishops issue this same warning. No good can come from these marriages.

I’m glad that the Cardinal did not say that Muslims are bad people, but stuck to the facts, Christianity and Islam make very tricky marital situations.

Having grown up with a Catholic and a Jewish parent, I find that an easier combination between East and Western faith. I believe that the issue has more to do with the role of women in Muslim society and family life. To a Western woman it must be very difficult. I would imagine that it would be very difficut for a Muslim being married to a Christin or a Jew. As the Cardinal says, “The dialogue is not easy.”

I am reminded of a Judeo-Catholic family that I know. The father is Jewish and the mother is Catholic. The four kids were raised Catholic. Two became Franciscan friars and one became a Sister of Mercy. The other married. This wonderful Jewish father would go to every ordination, profession of vows and other Catholic functions and celebrations that involved his children. I can’t see this happening in a Islamic-Christian marriage, especially today when the tension between East and West are high.

Let us pray for each other.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[exoflare]

I wonder where all the Muslims on this forum are? You would think this would attract them like flies to honey.

In my experience, they don’t usually stray far from the NCR subforum.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I’m glad that the Cardinal did not say that Muslims are bad people, but stuck to the facts, Christianity and Islam make very tricky marital situations.

Having grown up with a Catholic and a Jewish parent, I find that an easier combination between East and Western faith. I believe that the issue has more to do with the role of women in Muslim society and family life. To a Western woman it must be very difficult. I would imagine that it would be very difficut for a Muslim being married to a Christin or a Jew. As the Cardinal says, “The dialogue is not easy.”

I am reminded of a Judeo-Catholic family that I know. The father is Jewish and the mother is Catholic. The four kids were raised Catholic. Two became Franciscan friars and one became a Sister of Mercy. The other married. This wonderful Jewish father would go to every ordination, profession of vows and other Catholic functions and celebrations that involved his children. I can’t see this happening in a Islamic-Christian marriage, especially today when the tension between East and West are high.

Let us pray for each other.

Fraternally,

JR

that is a very special jewish father. the children are very lucky that he recognizes the Catholic functions that his children participated in. i definitely don’t think that would happen if the husband were muslim and there might be some christian or catholic men that would have a hard time if they had married a jewish woman and the children were raised jewish to participate in the Jewish functions at the synagogue.

 

[JReducation]

that is a very special jewish father. the children are very lucky that he recognizes the Catholic functions that his children participated in. i definitely don’t think that would happen if the husband were muslim and there might be some christian or catholic men that would have a hard time if they had married a jewish woman and the children were raised jewish to participate in the Jewish functions at the synagogue.

My father was a Catholic and we grew up Jewish. My brother and I converted to Catholicism very young, following his example and that of the Capuchin Friars who taught in our school. To this day we still observe the major high holy days of Judaism with my Jewish relatives, because those holy days are still part of our Judeo-Christian history. In other words, they are not in conflict with Catholicism.

My brother married a Catholic and his kids are Catholic and he is very active in their religious education, but he is still Jewish. We have a mixed family of Jews and Catholics that gets along very well. But the differences between Judaism and Catholicism are not as conflictive when it comes to rituals. Our Catholic rituals have many Jewish roots. It is easy for the Jewish person who is well educated in the Jewish faith to recognize the Jewish elements in the mass and the sacraments, especially in Marriage, baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.

I can’t see much that is similar between Islam and Judaism or Islam and Catholicism, except for the roots in Abraham.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[Steeltemplar]

Portugal has a very low percentage of the population that is Muslim, compared to some other European countries.

I’m not sure how up-to-date these statistics are (I present several so you can make up your own mind!):

factbook.net/muslim_pop.php
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country#By_country
islamicpopulation.com/Europe/Portugal/portugal_muslim.html

Portugal is a very Catholic country. Historically, at least.

(Very proud ot be of Portuguese descent!)

If it is anything like neighboring Spain, Portugal probably has a number of migrant workers from North Africa. When I was living in Madrid, it was quite common to see them around.

 

[7_Sorrows]

My father was a Catholic and we grew up Jewish. My brother and I converted to Catholicism very young, following his example and that of the Capuchin Friars who taught in our school. To this day we still observe the major high holy days of Judaism with my Jewish relatives, because those holy days are still part of our Judeo-Christian history. In other words, they are not in conflict with Catholicism.

My brother married a Catholic and his kids are Catholic and he is very active in their religious education, but he is still Jewish. We have a mixed family of Jews and Catholics that gets along very well. But the differences between Judaism and Catholicism are not as conflictive when it comes to rituals. Our Catholic rituals have many Jewish roots. It is easy for the Jewish person who is well educated in the Jewish faith to recognize the Jewish elements in the mass and the sacraments, especially in Marriage, baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.

I can’t see much that is similar between Islam and Judaism or Islam and Catholicism, except for the roots in Abraham.

Fraternally,

JR

i envy you growing up in a religiously mixed marriage of jews and catholics and being able to celebrate the major holidays of both religions. i sometimes think that christians should continue to celebrate the high holy days also.