Fewer Interfaith Catholic Marriages

Religiously mixed marriages are becoming more common among those who practice Reform Judaism but have shown a significant decline among American Catholics in the past 20 years, speakers at the semiannual consultation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues said. Forty-six percent of married Reform Jews have spouses who identify themselves as having another faith, while 26 percent of Catholic marriages involve partners who are not Catholic. The consultation, chaired by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Rabbi Alvin Berkun, president of the (Conservative) Rabbinical Assembly, took place on Oct. 19 in New York. “Whereas 30 years ago a Christian-Jewish couple might have approached a rabbi with embarrassment about their intentions to marry, today they’re asking about spirituality programs in which the both of them can feel comfortable,” said Rabbi Charles Kroloff, who chaired a task force on intermarriage for the Central Conference of Reform Rabbis.