” “"For Christians, traditional forms of marriage can never replace sacramental marriage". This was reasserted by the Pope who, upon receiving the Ghanaian bishops this morning in the Vatican for the "visita ad limina", stressed "the importance of the monogamous and indissoluble union of man and woman" within the family based on marriage as a sacrament. As to the bishops’ concern about the "proper celebration of Christian marriage" in Ghana, Benedict XVI stated: "I share your concern and I ask the faithful to place the sacrament of marriage at the heart of their family life. While Christianity always tries to respect the venerable traditions of other cultures and peoples, it also tries to purify those customs that are against the Spirit. This is why it is essential that the whole Catholic community keep stressing the importance of the monogamous and indissoluble union of man and woman as consecrated in the holy marriage". The Holy Father also asked the Ghanaian bishops to "make sure candidates to priesthood are suitable" and provide them with "proper training". "Priesthood admonished the Pope must never be viewed as a way to improve one’s lifestyle or social status. Otherwise, priesthood as the gift of the self and as submission to the designs of the Spirit would be replaced by personal desires, thus making the priest ineffectual and unfulfilled". ” “
