Amoris Laetitia: A Gleam of Hope to the Dilemma Between the African Customary Marriage and the Sacrament of Matrimony

Abstract

Taking context seriously and reading the signs of time is a pastoral necessity
in the contemporary Church. Today many Christian African marriages are not stable. This is partly due to the church’s negative approach to the traditional African customary marriage and its values. This paper will address the issue by observing how this approach has created a dilemma among African Christians, a dilemma that has in turn brought forth a myriad of social family problems that constantly deteriorates this institution. In line with ‘Amoris Laetitia’, the paper shall argue for a paradigm shift in the church’s approach to doctrinal, moral and cultural related family issues.