The Vatican yesterday advised Catholic women to think hard before marrying a Muslim, while calling on the Islamic world to show a "growing awareness" for fundamental liberties, including "the equal dignity of man and woman", writes Paddy Agnew in Rome.
Prepared by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees and presented yesterday in the Vatican by Japanese Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, the document sees immigration as a largely positive phenomenon that generates genuine inter-religious dialogue. However, in relation to inter-religious marriages, it expresses grave reservations, arguing that "marriage between Catholics and non-Christian migrants should be discouraged".
Calling women "the least protected member of the Muslim family", the document speaks of the "bitter experience" of western Catholic women married to Muslim husbands, especially if the couple originally married in the west and then later moved to the Muslim husband's country of origin.
Furthermore, it warns Catholics that "if the marriage is registered with a consulate of the Islamic country of origin, the Catholic party must beware of reciting or signing documents containing the shahada (profession of the Muslim faith)".
In relation to Muslim immigrants, the document calls on the followers of Islam to respect and uphold fundamental human rights, commenting: "We hope that there will be, on the part of our Muslim brothers and sisters, a growing awareness that fundamental liberties, the inviolable rights of the person, the equal dignity of man and woman, the democratic principles of government and the healthy lay character of the state are principles that cannot be surrendered."
Yesterday's document highlights the complex nature of the Holy See's relations with Islam. On the one hand, Pope John Paul II has won plaudits in the Muslim world not only for his forthright opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq but also for his efforts at prompting dialogue with Islam, most notably when he visited a holy mosque in Damascus in 2000.
On the other hand, the Vatican has long been worried about the threat posed to Catholicism by the spread of Islam, especially in Africa and Asia, while the Pope has many times denounced Islamic countries for denying Catholics the right to freedom of worship.
Only this week, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican's doctrinal body, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, argued that the west "no longer loves itself" in contrast to Islam which was growing because it expressed "greater spiritual energy".