"Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage. Though this fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no one has the right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary, always honorable and meritorious. The example of countless married couples proves not only that fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but also that it is the source of profound and enduring happiness." (9)

In this passage, the Pope stresses the importance of fidelity within the role of marriage. It states the obvious in expressing that marriage will see it's difficulties and that no marriage is perfect, however, those marriages which represent true love will be able to fight through and endure those difficult moments. This passage also seems to imply that there are particular rules to marriage which are made clear at the moment of joining and must be followed. Fidelity and procreation are two of the most important messages stressed in this passage.

I agree with the Pope in terms of marriages, and relationships in general, facing rough patches. Any relationship, romantic or not, will suffer at some point because humans are not perfect. In terms of fidelity and marriage, I also agree that when you commit yourself to marriage and to another human whom you love and care for, that you shall remain faithful to that human. In regards to making procreation a necessity of marriage, I disagree. I believe that having a child is something that should be left to choice by the couple involved and that it should not be frowned upon to choose against having children. Having children should be viewed as a gift, and if forced to do so, may be viewed in a negative light or as interfering. Lifestyle is an option that offers many potential opportunities to choose from, and having children should not be looked at as interfering with other life goals.

Regarding the topic of fidelity again, I feel that this is stressed in western cultures more than in others. It is difficult for me to comprehend cultures that allow anything outside of monogamy. Not to say that one way is right, but the subject of fidelity is so highly stressed in western culture that anything outside of that is so foreign that it seems as though it is wrong. The topics covered in the Pope's document exclude any allowance for cultural variation, making it easy to 'sin' if you culturally identify outside of accordance with the Christian faith.