These points don't exhaust the issues, but do illustrate some of the areas that need to be addressed. All decisions about ceremony and children need to take second place to the love relationship of the couple.

If that is weakened, then no matter how the children are raised, they will not benefit from the strong love of the couple. You cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time.

"When people of radically different yet connected traditions marry, perhaps they are imaging a new way of viewing life.

It may seem disconcerting, but could it not also be a call to greater religious harmony? I would like to offer a few points for reflection based on my 30 years of experience as a priest who has been involved in many interfaith weddings.

But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated.

They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been overcome.

A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater circumspection.

1634 Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ.

About a century ago, when hundreds of thousands of Jews were immigrating to the United States, only about 1 percent, by some estimates, married non-Jews.Two numbers from the Catechism might be worth quoting here: 1633 In many countries the situation of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) often arises.It requires particular attention on the part of couples and their pastors.I have found that many young couples who may not be that connected to their faith traditions think that the religious issue will not be a problem.Unfortunately, they don't appreciate how these matters may crop up later to present very difficult challenges.