Arcanum

Arcanum (also known as Arcanum Divinae) is an encyclical issued on February 10, 1880 by Pope Leo XIII, on the topic of Christian marriage. The encyclical was considered the forerunner to Pope Pius XI's 1930 Casti connubii and Pope Paul VI's 1968 Humanae vitae. Arcanum outlines the rule of marriage in the late 19th century, and goes through those actions which weaken the marriage sacrament, such as polygamy and divorce. The encyclical also posits the Church as a protector of marriage, rather than one interfering in the marital relationship. Summary Pope Leo XIII began Arcanum by recalling the history of marriage, established in the Old Testament when God created man and woman: "We record what is to all known, and cannot be doubted by any, that God, on the sixth day of creation, having made man from the slime of the earth, and having breathed into his face the breath of life, gave him a companion, whom He miraculously took from the side of Adam when he was locked in sleep."