Ida Friederike Görres (1901–1971) was a prominent Catholic writer in German-speaking Europe. In his eulogy for her, Fr. Joseph Ratzinger praised how Görres “spoke with an insightful certainty and a fearlessness about the pressing questions and tasks of the Church today.” In 2025, Bishop Erik Varden called her “a crucial voice for the present moment.”
One of the themes of Görres’ non-fiction was the nature of marriage. Her book What Binds Marriage Forever, first published in 1971, is a startlingly relevant and engaging defense of indissolubility in the face of its detractors.
On April 22, Humanum Review hosted a lecture by Jennifer Bryson, who is bringing the work of Görres to an English-speaking audience for the first time. Dr. Bryson’s presentation was followed by a response from Dr. Jonathan Bieler and a conversation moderated by Dr. Nicholas Healy. We invite our readers to view the recording of the presentation:
Dr. Jennifer Bryson is a Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. She is also the English-language translator of the works of Ida Friederike Görres, including the recently released What Binds Marriage Forever.
Nicholas J. Healy is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Culture at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, DC, an editor of the North American edition of Communio: International Catholic Review, and author of The Eschatology of Hans Urs von Balthasar: Being as Communion (Oxford University Press).
Jonathan Bieler is Assistant Professor of Patrology and Systematic Theology at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C. He is author of a study on Maximus the Confessor and studies the intersection between Christology and Metaphysics. He lives in Hyattsville, MD, with his wife and four children.
