Pope says church workers must explain marriage reflects God's love

Published: 2007-05-18

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- In a country where many Catholics do not marry in the church because they fear their unions will not last, church workers in Mali must explain that the sacrament of marriage is a reflection of the never-ending love of God, Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope met the six bishops of Mali May 18 at his summer villa in Castel Gandolfo, where he spent five days resting after returning May 14 from Brazil. Pope Benedict told the bishops that each of their "ad limina" reports, an accounting of the situation in their dioceses made every five years, showed a "notable concern" over the marriage practices of the country's 228,000 Catholics. "In effect, given that the number of Christian marriages remains relatively weak, it is the obligation of the church to help the baptized, particularly the young, to understand the beauty and dignity of this sacrament," Pope Benedict said.

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