Posted on 07/02/2004 9:06:02 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
CAMBRIDGE -- U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II made one of his few public appearances in Massachusetts yesterday since his annulment dispute became public, but he continued to insist it was a private matter. 
"I'm not going to start commenting on all of the various issues that have been brought up," a subdued Rep. Kennedy said after recognizing the winners of local Small Business Administration awards. "I just feel that these are personal family matters and I think that I will continue to try to treat them as such," he said.
In a book to be published next month, the Democrat's first wife, Sheila Rauch Kennedy, contends that Rep. Kennedy often called her a "nobody" during their 12-year marriage and that by its end in 1991, she was afraid of him. The book also takes aim at the Catholic annulment process. Rep. Kennedy has been granted an annulment of their marriage. But Sheila Kennedy contends it will cast a shadow over her entire relationship with Rep. Kennedy and the lives of their twin sons. Accordingly, she has appealed the decision. "An annulment says that there never was a true marriage in the eyes of God. I don't know about you, but I took our marriage very seriously," Sheila Kennedy told the congressman in a conversation recounted in her book, "Shattered Faith." "Of course I think we had a true marriage." she said he answered. "But that doesn't matter now. I don't believe this stuff. Nobody actually believes it. It's just Catholic gobbledygook, Sheila." The story, which first surfaced two weeks ago, took a turn this past week when the former wife of U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., revealed that he is now seeking an annulment of their marriage. Sen. Kerry's ex-wife, Julia Thorne, does not plan to fight the annulment, although she, too, was critical of what she labeled a "hypocritical" process. Rep. Kennedy, who is planning to run for governor next year, said he was unsure what effect the story might have on his career. "I think that this is much more of a human story and a family story, and it's not one that I think about in terms of its political effect," he said. Rep. Kennedy also would not say whether he thought his stature or office played a role in him getting the annulment. "I don't want to start down the road of answering a lot of questions about the annulment process," he said. "I think that these are issues that are very much personal in nature and between myself, my family and my church. You can find out the statistics in terms of the number of annulments, the tens of thousands that are provided each year."
Did Ketchup Boy say he doesn't remember whether he got an annulment? Apparently he should read the AP.
This just says that he was "seeking" an annulment - not that he actually got one. In fact, he has never said he actually got one (which, if he didn't, would make his current marriage invalid in the eyes of the Church).
Did he get married in the Catholic Church? Is Teresa Catholic? If he got married in a civil ceremony, he may not have gotten an annulment.
F.Y.I.
On other words, he's back to his standard: It's none of your business.
Thus, applying liberals logic and parsing, I am free to assume he never got one, right?
First of all, this isn't news, except to gossip columnists. Secondly, no one in Massachusetts cares. Believe me.
Doesn't matter. The Catholic Church recognizes most marriages as legitimate (generally, if you consider yourself husband and wife then you are unless proven otherwise, ie marriage ruled invalid and annulled), so even someone with a civil marriage would still need an annulment to marry someone else in the Church.
Where did he and Teresa get married? Was it by a priest? That would never happen in my diocese.
For those of us who are protestants, Presbyterian myself, what is this annulment does the church do it how does someone get one, it seems like a waste of time and effort to me, everyone is entitled to there own view and I am not trying to offend Catholics but I have never understood this issue.
Bet she found out he has a love child. Wonder if it lives in 'Nam.
annulment= bribe Catholic church.... done
I think the odds are about 99-1 that Kerry has NOT RECEIVED AN ANNULMENT.
Why? Because, if he had, he most certainly would have said so during that period when he was doing photo-ops as a good Catholic receiving communion. There is no reason on earth why he would not release this information, IF HE HAD IT.
My brother married a Catholic and then converted. She divorced him after 21 years and 4 children. She started talking annulment, but he was going to fight it for the kids sake. She dropped it. He is now remarried to another Catholic, but they did not get married in the Catholic Church. So they are married, but not in the eyes of the Catloic Church since he never had his first marriage annulled.
I used to be good friends with a priest who worked in Cardinal Law's marriage tribunal. He was a really good guy, and I don't know how he wound up there.
Anyway, it's well known that this tribunal was extremely lax and willing to recommend annulments at the drop of a hat, like most American tribunals. No need to bribe anyone.
BUT, the Vatican was not happy with this situation, and it's very likely that it has been held up--I hope permanently--in Rome.
The Catholic Church does not allow divorce. What God has joined, let no man put asunder, and so forth.
However, there are certain conditions that must be present for a wedding ceremony to be valid. Most annulments of marriages are, I believe, on the basis that informed consent was not present at the time of the wedding. http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/marital_consent.htm (You need to read the link to understand.) If the marriage wasn't valid, then it can be annulled and the man and woman are free to marry others.
Sometimes the annulment procedure is abused and treated like divorce, but that is, well, an abuse.
Thanks, I know about a legal annulment but those are rare and extremely difficult to get, it seems that these church annulment are not as difficult.
Possibly so -- my understanding is that many states even have legal annulments, just divorce. Not sure what it's for, exactly.
.... many states DON'T even have legal annulments ....
read later bump
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