By Peter J. Smith
VATICAN CITY, January 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI appealed to officials and lawyers of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, the highest court of appeals dealing with matters of marriage in the Catholic Church, to help the world rediscover “the beauty of ‘the truth of marriage.’”
The Holy Father’s gave his address before the Tribunal’s audience including the dean, judges, promoters of justice, defenders of the bond, on the commencement of the Vatican’s juridical year, where he paid particular attention to the expression “the truth of marriage”.
Benedict XVI told his audience that they must be faithful to “a task in which responsibility for truth is especially felt” and seek to ensure that your activities become a harmonious part of a global rediscovery of the beauty of the ‘truth of marriage’.”
The Pope explained that the “truth of marriage” is an expression that loses its real meaning when “relativism” and “juridicial positivism” reduce marriage to “mere social formalization of the ties of affection.” In this cultural context, “marriage not only becomes contingent, as human affections can be contingent, but appears as a superimposed legal structure which human will can manipulate at will, even denying its heterosexual character.”
Yet, the Holy Father also warned against those who believe “the conciliar doctrine on marriage … necessarily leads to denying the existence of an indissoluble conjugal bond,” on the grounds that this is “an ‘ideal’ which not all ‘normal Christians’ can be ‘obliged’ to follow.”
“Each marriage is certainly the fruit of the free will of a man and a woman, but their freedom puts into effect the natural capacity inherent to their masculinity and femininity,” Benedict explained. “The indissolubility of marriage does not derive from the definitive commitment of the two parties involved; rather it is intrinsic to the nature of the ‘potent bond established by the Creator.”
A copy of Pope Benedict XVI’s address is available here (Italian):
https://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/19617.php?index=19617&po_date=27.01.2007&lang=en