The Vatican isn’t riding the Gen Z polyamory wave.
In a doctrinal note aptly titled “In praise of monogamy” and approved by Pope Leo last week, the Vatican makes the case for “the value of marriage as an exclusive union and mutual belonging.”
The document argued against polyamory, which refers to having multiple romantic partners at once, and polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse.
“Polygamy, adultery, or polyamory are based on the illusion that the intensity of a relationship can be found in the succession of faces,” the note states.
“Our era, in fact, is experiencing various trends regarding love: increasing divorce rates, the fragility of unions, the trivialization of adultery, and the promotion of polyamory,” it went on.
Polygamy is common in Africa, drawing concern from the Vatican. Roman Catholic bishops in the region have held discussions about what is viewed as a “pastoral challenge” for the church.
“Research indicates rather that polygamy is a practice tolerated because of the necessities of life (absence of children, levirate, labor for survival, etc.),” the Vatican said in a footnote.
The numbers seem to add up. According to estimates by CNN data guru Harry Enten, more than 9 million Americans are in a polyamorous relationship. While he concedes that it’s difficult to compare that figure to data from decades ago, the percentage of people who find polyamory to be morally acceptable is “up like a rocket.”
A 2025 Gallup poll found that 21 percent say polygamy is morally acceptable, compared to 6 percent in 2005. That increase is thanks in large part to younger folks, over 30 percent of whom held a favorable view of polyamory, Enten said.
The Vatican said novels, films, and songs show that there’s still hope for monogamy.
“Great collective narratives continue to exalt the myth of the unique and exclusive ‘great love,’” it said. “The paradox is evident: social practices undermine what the imagination celebrates. This reveals that the desire for monogamous love remains inscribed deep within the human being, even when behaviors seem to deny it.”
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