In a new book, a Catholic couple from Cameroon examines the “foundations of marriage in African culture”

In the foreword, Archbishop Kleda says: “The preservation of marriage and family, instituted by God, should secure the future of society and the Church, as Pope John Paul II taught.”

“In view of the many dangers that threaten marriage and the family, the Church must encourage young couples and, above all, help them to lay the foundations for a stable married life. To do this, they must understand the characteristics, requirements and true implications of traditional, civil and, above all, religious marriage and put them into practice for their greater happiness,” says the Catholic Archbishop of Cameroon.

The new book, he continues, offers young couples “all the elements they need to understand the meaning and importance of traditional and religious marriages and their commonalities.”

“It also offers tips and recipes to enable young couples to deal appropriately with all the situations of married life in the light of the Word of God, the teachings of the Magisterium and the millennial experience of the Church, and thus to contribute effectively to the progress and transformation of African societies through the Gospel,” he says.

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The head of the Catholic Church further urges young people to “remain faithful to the Church’s teaching on marriage. Always keep in mind its essential qualities of unity and indissolubility; keep in mind its threefold purpose, which is love between you, willingness to procreate according to God’s plan and the Christian education of your children.”

The new book, which was launched on July 12 in the banquet hall of the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Douala, costs US$12.00.