Pope Leão XIV Approves Vatican Note Reaffirming Monogamy, Critiquing Polyamory and Polygamy

Overview

• Released by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Nov. 25, the note is titled “Uma só carne – Em Louvor à Monogamia” (Latin: “Una caro”).
• The document defines marriage as a stable, permanent, exclusive union between a man and a woman and warns against using a partner as an instrument for gratification.
• It states that sexual relations within marriage serve a unitive purpose and need not be undertaken solely for procreation, while reiterating opposition to artificial contraception.
• Polygamy, polyamory and adultery are described as rooted in the “illusion” that fulfillment can be found through multiple or successive partners.
• Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández presented the note with Mons. Armando Matteo and theologian Giuseppina De Simone, citing pastoral concerns in African contexts and the spread of polyamory in Western societies.