CV NEWS FEED // In light of the continued decline in marriage among Catholics and recent controversy surrounding the blessing of same-sex couples, the National Catholic Register (NCR) is calling for a refocus on the sacrament of marriage.
In a recently published editorial, NCR, the Catholic paper of record, made an urgent appeal to establish “the perpetual renewal of marriage” one of the Church’s “central evangelical and pastoral priorities.”
This past Sunday marked victory for the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl. However, NCR pointed out, last Sunday was also World Marriage Day—and “recent events have left many Catholics concerned about whether the significance of marriage is being sidelined with the Church itself.”
The number of Catholic couples getting married has decreased by 70% in the past 50 years, even though the Catholic population has risen by nearly 20 million, the article stated, continuing:
The contested topic of blessings for same-sex couples is an unfortunate distraction from this far-more-urgent call from the Pope to find ways to counter the implosion of sacramental marriage by strengthening the Church’s efforts to catechize young Catholic couples and support single Catholics who desire to be married.
As CatholicVote previously reported, marriages among Catholics have dropped by 30,000 in the past three years alone, with the majority of young people citing “difficulty finding the right person” as a primary reason for remaining single.
Recent Pew Research data also found that 21% of Catholics never marry, while 8% opt to cohabit and 12% are divorced or separated.
“The Church must make the renewal of marriage one of its central evangelical and pastoral priorities throughout the final stage of the Synod on Synodality — and beyond,” NCR concluded.
“It’s also the kind of blessing that Catholics actually need at this moment.”
