If Marriage is Natural, Why is Defending It So Hard? Taking up the Challenge to Marriage in the Pews and the Public Square (Special Issue: The Nature of Marriage and Its Various Aspects‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Alfonso Cardinal Lopez Trujillo presents a rich and deep vision of marriage as "a natural institution which precedes the sacrament." (1) The essence of marriage, so understood, is unity and indissolubility. Marriage does not ratify or celebrate a preexisting relationship. It transforms the relation between man and woman because it comes into existence only from the moment a man and woman decide, via a free act of the will, to give themselves to each other in this unique way. (2)