Catholic marriage eroding.

Vatican City -- Pope Benedict XVI has told the Church's highest court (Roman Rota) that relativism is eroding the concept of marriage, even among Catholics. In his address at the opening of the judicial year January 24, he warned against a view that annulments are a canonical way of regulating the breakup of authentic marriages.

The Pope said that the "truth of marriage [loses] existential relevance in a cultural context marked by relativism and juridical positivism [Editor. man-made laws which disregard natural law.]." The latter "consider marriage as a mere social formalization of emotional bonds."

Consequently, marriage becomes just as "contingent [Editor. of uncertain occurrence], as human sentiments can be." It is also "presented as a legal superstructure that the human will may manipulate according to its pleasure, even depriving it of its heterosexual character."

"This crisis of the meaning of marriage"--which has even led to calling same-sex unions 'marriage'--"also has effects on the way many faithful think," the Holy Father explained. In this way, the "indissoluble conjugal bond" is denied, or regarded as an ideal that cannot be made obligatory for "normal Christians."

Benedict XVI went on to say: "In fact, the conviction has spread even in some [Church circles], according to which the pastoral good of individuals in irregular marital situations would call for a kind of canonical regularization of their situation, regardless of the validity or invalidity of their marriage, that is, regardless of the 'truth' about their personal condition. The matrimonial declaration is considered, in fact, as an instrument to attain this objective, according to a logic in which the law becomes the formalization of subjective pretensions."

The Pontiff continued: "Given the subjective and libertarian relativization of the sexual experience, the tradition of the Church affirms with clarity the naturally juridical nature of marriage, that is, its belonging by nature to the realm of justice in interpersonal relations. From this point of view, the law is truly connected to life, with love as an intrinsic duty. The Holy Father quoted his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, No. 11, saying: "From the standpoint of creation, 'eros' directs man toward marriage, to a bond which is unique and definitive; thus, and only thus, does it fulfill its deepest purpose. Love and law can thus be united to the point of making husband and wife give each other mutually the love that they feel spontaneously (Zenit, Jan. 29, 2007)."