Posted on 09/09/2015 4:27:51 AM PDT by NYer
ROME, September 8, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) -- The public confusion over whether the Vatican’s upcoming Ordinary Synod on the Family will somehow endorse divorce has been cleared up by Pope Francis, as he said definitively today that marriage is “indissoluble,” meaning that it is permanent until death.
In his decrees released today on annulments -- declarations that a marriage was invalid from the beginning – the Holy Father moved to make it easier and faster to determine nullity of a marriage and eliminated the cost for such deliberations.
But in doing so he also reaffirmed that as far as God and the Church are concerned, divorce and remarriage is never an option, which should, provided the Holy Father’s remarks are heeded, make the much speculated-upon issue of a proposal to allow Holy Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics a dead issue at the forthcoming October Synod.
“Throughout the centuries,” Pope Francis writes in the motu proprio Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus, “the Church, in matters of marriage, acquiring a clearer awareness of the Words of Christ, has understood and explained in greater depth the doctrine of the indissolubility of the sacred conjugal bond, has developed the system for the annulment of matrimonial consent, and has more suitably disciplined the relevant judicial process, so that ecclesiastical discipline is more consistent with the truth of the professed faith.”
The Holy Father also reaffirmed the Church’s primary and eternal mission of saving souls, stating it’s what prompted him to institute the reforms, and he confirmed that marriage is the foundation and source of the family.
“It is therefore the concern for the salvation of souls that, today as yesterday, remains the supreme objective of the institutions and laws, and drives the Bishop of Rome to offer to the Bishops this reform document, insofar as they share with him the task of the Church to protect unity in faith and in discipline regarding marriage, the cornerstone and origin of the Christian family,” he writes in the document, according to the Vatican Information Service.
The Holy Father issued two motu proprios, or Apostolic Letters, on Tuesday, introducing reforms to the legal structures of the Church which deal with questions of marital nullity.
The motu proprio Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (“The Lord Jesus, Clement Judge”), concerns the Code of Canon Law (CIC) overseeing the Latin Church, and the other, Mitis et misericors Iesus (“Clement and merciful Jesus”), reforms the Code of Canon Law for Oriental (Eastern) Churches (CCEO).
“Hopefully these documents have freed the Synod to deal with extremely pressing questions,” said Toronto canonist Father Alexander Laschuk, “such as migrant workers, the continued degradation of the family, building a pro-life culture, human trafficking, etc.”
Father Laschuk, a priest of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, a doctoral student in canon law, and an Associate Judicial Vicar of the Toronto Regional Marriage Tribunal, told LifeSiteNews he thinks the documents were timed for release just prior to the October Synod.
“The newly promulgated norms do not make reference, explicitly, to the question of reception of the Eucharist by those living in a state of objective sin in irregular marriages,” he said. “I, like most canonists, do not understand how such an action could occur faithfully in light of both our Lord’s clear teachings on marriage and divorce and the consistent authoritative teaching of the Church’s magisterium. It certainly seems to me to be a more than settled question.”
However, he does not expect the reform will stop those campaigning to overturn Church teaching. “They are aware this is contrary to the clear and consistent teaching of the Church of Rome,” he said. “They are saying, essentially: so what? That response is not rebuffed by this document. They are proposing a radical new understanding of the words of Christ.”
“Our Lord is clear in Matthew 19 that one who remarries after divorce commits adultery. The reception of the Eucharist is for those who are not in a state of sin,” said Father Laschuk. “As a result, the reception of the Eucharist while in a state of continued sin is just not possible and would be a sin of sacrilege.”
An annulment is a declaration by the Church that the spiritual bond of marriage never existed, because one or both spouses entered the marriage either unwilling or unable to fulfill the commitment of the sacrament.
“I would encourage readers to pray for those struggling in truly broken marriages and the Church’s ministers of justice who try to minister to them,” Father Laschuk told LifeSiteNews. “The matrimonial nullity process has a lot of misconceptions – but there are so many people in our world who enter into a marriage intending nothing in line with what the Church understands as a marriage.”
The pope upheld the sanctity of marriage in his decrees today, stating he was following the majority vote of last year’s Synod for a faster, easier process, but also that his provisions “favour not the nullity of marriage but rather the speed of processes, along with the appropriate simplicity.”
He expressed in his documents the need to guard “the truth of the sacred bond” as much as possible.
“I have done so following in the footsteps of my predecessors, who wanted procedures for the declaration of nullity of marriage to be treated by judicial rather than administrative means,” Pope Francis writes, “not because the nature of the matter imposes this but because it is demanded by the need to protect to the greatest extent possible the truth of the sacred bond; and this is precisely what is ensured by the guarantees of the judicial order.”
Some of the grounds for an annulment, or declaration of nullity, are a lack of openness to children, rejection of the permanence of marriage and commitment to fidelity, serious immaturity, fraud or psychological difficulties, such as depression or addiction.
Bears repeating, ping!
Then there needs to be a lot more pre cana education.
I’m sorry, but at it’s base a marriage is a contract. If you don’t understand the terms, don’t sign it.
They are Married
They are “One Flesh”
It has nothing to do with a “License”
It has nothing to do with the Church, except to be sanctified.
It's a God Thing
What God has put together is Permanent
If a Divorce is obtained, they are still "One Flesh"
I do not claim to have done a lot of research on the issue, but it seems that the Church in the last 20 years or so has ramped up the pre-Cana program. Just basing this on young people whom I have known. And I do recall having read quite a number of years ago about plans to do such.
These days, among young women, there seems to be an excessive amount of money and planning spent on the wedding, while very little attention is paid to planning the marriage. The big party is the focus. A bevy of bridesmaids in inappropriate attire and bride dressed to look anything but virginal are far too common.
In his decrees released today on annulments -- declarations that a marriage was invalid from the beginning –
An annulment is a declaration by the Church that the spiritual bond of marriage never existed, because one or both spouses entered the marriage either unwilling or unable to fulfill the commitment of the sacrament.
Some of the grounds for an annulment, or declaration of nullity, are a lack of openness to children, rejection of the permanence of marriage and commitment to fidelity, serious immaturity, fraud or psychological difficulties, such as depression or addiction.
I’m sorry, but at it’s base a marriage is a contract. If you don’t understand the terms, don’t sign it.
More importantly, it is a vow, made in the Presence of God. Sadly, despite the best efforts of the Church, secularism now drives marriage with couples financially invested in the trappings rather than the commitment. Church weddings are often considered passe with emphasis now placed on a more romantic setting, a wedding gown that costs more than the down payment on a home and a lavish banquet. Preach as much as you want, people will only hear what they want. Even the vows have changed.
Ping to my post #7. Lol.
Sadly, I agree.
We got married 11 years ago next month, and had a very nice wedding at my brides home church in South Dakota. Reception was at the local “country club” (a small steel building with a bar and cooking area). We were able to invite everyone we wanted, had a nice meal, and still got out for less than $5,000 (including the cost of the honeymoon).
Some of my side of the family accused us of being to cheap, but we had a wonderful day. Some friends of ours spent ten times that much.
“I’m sorry, but at it’s base a marriage is a contract.”
No, covenant. The contract is just part of it.
“No, covenant”
You beat me to it :-)
My wife and I were both widowed when we met, and both in our 60s. Still, when we went through pre-marriage counseling, we had to agree to "accept any children God might send us." Of course we agreed. So far we haven't had any, though.
I truly appreciate the humor ... thank you for adding some levity to the thread.
Though slightly younger than you and your 'bride', a while back, I met a couple in their late 40's. They had raised their children and were now 'empty nesters' in a large home on LI. Their children had moved away, and they were reluctant to sell their home. After serious consideration, they decided they still had so much to offer and looked into adoption. They ended up adopting a sibling group of 5 children! from South America, the youngest still in a stroller. It was both an amazing and beautiful sight! God blessed them with a 2nd family. Perhaps He has one for you, as well ;-)
In fact, if there was ever a SINGLE couple that decided not to marry because of what they heard at Pre-Cana, then I haven't heard about it.
The fact is, everything I needed to learn about a sacramental marriage, I learned long before I was engaged to be married. The Pre-Cana program was, honestly, less than helpful. I wish the priests who interview couples had the power to use their discretion to determine who needs further instruction and who does not. Such instruction has to start in childhood, or it's practically meaningless. IMO.
Regards,
PS: (Married 23 years now.)
Should it not be sanctified BEFORE consummation if it is indeed a "God Thing"?
Amen!
Has LifeSiteNews jumped the shark? Hillary White was once a common contributor; however, she hasn’t posted for Life Site since May of this year.
What follows is from her blogpost yesterday:
“And, just in time for the apocalypse, Pope Francis announced yesterday that he will be issuing a Motu Proprio (why not just sidestep all that annoying “collegiality” blather, eh? No?) changing the rules for the annulment process. Can’t keep the poor little darlings waiting, can we? And all that nonsense about investigating the facts of the case, waiting to find out whether there is any, you know, truth in the claims. That just creates suffering, don’tcha know.”
http://anglocath.blogspot.com/2015/09/catholic-no-fault-divorce.html
So so wrong. The “reforms” are an open door for massive “divorce.” That is what this is all about.
I guess you are right about on thing, the Synod does not have to consider communion for divorce because these will be no divorce only annulments.
Ours was very good. Eight weeks of prep, one on one meetings with the priest, and I know some couples were not given permission to marry because of it.
But that was the exception.
What annulments happen without divorces?
Freegards
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