Dialogue forum on the topic "Why do marriages break up?" was held on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in the hall of the parish hall of the Church of St. George under Gorica. This social and family issue was discussed by priest Igor Balaban, archpriest vicar of Zeta, Ivana Becić, judge of the Basic Court in Podgorica and Dijana Popović - Gavranović, social worker and family psychotherapist. The panel was moderated by priest Gojko Perović.
Father Igor Balaban presented the Church's teachings on the sanctity of marriage and spoke about the experiences of premarital preparation and priestly mediation between spouses when a marital crisis occurs, stressing that the purpose of Christian marriage is to reduce egoism and the constant sharing of love, and not to insist on personal comfort.
Judge Becić spoke about her role as a court mediator in situations where a divorce is announced, and pointed out that a successful marriage needs constant strengthening by guarding and nurturing intimacy between spouses - which, in addition to and before intimate marital relations, includes joint conversations, mutual listening, even compassionate silence.
Psychotherapist Popović - Gavranović impressively spoke about the complexity of spousal relationships, about the consequences they bring to children's upbringing. In addition to understanding the Christian teaching on marriage, she described the phenomenon of a crisis in marriage and the impossibility of some marital situations in which divorce is a much better solution than insisting on the survival of a relationship between people who do not understand the essence of marriage, partner and parental relationships, or lack the trust, strength and will to put the desired changes into action.
All the participants of the forum pointed out that we live in a time of great, global, socio-political changes and crises that affect the individual and the family, but also favoring the focus of the individual on himself, increased egocentrism, that children - future people and spouses - should be brought up in such a spirit, and that hence we live in a time of heightened marriage crisis. In addition, each of the speakers gave a series of lessons and recommendations on how and why every marriage should be given a chance to try to get out of the current crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jjduYpwJQs