Pope offers thanks for witness given by committed Catholic couples

Published: 2006-10-09

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI offered thanks to God for the witness given by Catholic couples whose commitment to each other in marriage remains strong in both joy and sorrow. "God himself is the author of matrimony," the pope said Oct. 8, commenting on the day's Mass readings, which recounted the creation of man and woman and Jesus' statement that "what God has joined together, no human being must separate." Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the midday recitation of the Angelus, the pope said the readings caused him to offer special prayers for Christian spouses. "With them, I thank the Lord for the gift of the sacrament of matrimony, and I exhort them to remain faithful to their vocation in every season of life, 'in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health,' as they promised during the sacramental rite," he said. The pope prayed that Catholic couples, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament, would "build a family open to life and able to face together the many and complex challenges of our age."

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