VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A new Vatican doctrinal note describes marriage as an exclusive and “indissoluble union” between one man and one woman, reaffirming the Catholic Church’s criticism of polygamy and polyamory.
The document, “One Flesh: In Praise of Monogamy,” was approved by Pope Leo XIV on Friday (Nov. 21) and published on Tuesday, when it was presented by the Vatican head of the doctrinal department, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, during a press conference at the Vatican.
“Polygamy is in opposition with moral law. It radically contradicts conjugal communion,” the document states in Italian.
Questions surrounding polygamy in Africa were being addressed by one of 10 study groups created after bishops and laypeople gathered at the Vatican in October 2024 for the Synod on Synodality. In their interim reports, the study group on polygamy said it had submitted its findings to the Vatican’s doctrinal department and that it would soon issue a final report offering suggestions and reflections on the matter.
A theme woven throughout the document is that monogamy protects the equality and dignity of women.
“There is no place for some form of polyandry, no polygamy,” the document states, citing St. Thomas Aquinas, who likened having many wives to “a form of slavery.”
Fernández said the document does not wish to “go agains …