The notion that all you need to do is pay a fee and get an annulment is a slur.
In most of the world, most Catholics ignore the Church’s marriage law and the annulment process. The U.S. is unusual in its observance of these things.
It is true that people decide to marry whoever they choose—then try to patch it up with the Church. If they really believed that the Church is Christ, they would take the Church’s marriage laws into account BEFORE getting married civilly and having children, etc.
In the age of pro-abortion “Catholics,” the Church should be emphasizing that Communion is NOT for anyone in the state of mortal sin.
Yes that's correct.
The issue is the nature of the "adultery" in question. Is it more like Matthew 5:28 adultery, or is it more like 10 commandments adultery?
There are many, many divorced and remarried Catholics with stable second marriages and children. It's difficult to believe that their objective salvation status is the same as a guy hitting a motel with a stripper a couple of times a month (granted, it could still be true. His ways are not our ways).
It's also difficult to believe that the Eastern Orthodox are so far wrong about this as to be participating in a scheme to give communion to thousands and thousands of adulterers.
I bet you that, within a year, the Pope and the bishops are going to come up with some sort of "sacramental economy" scheme to allow communion in certain cases.
After all, many if not most annulments granted in the US are invalid because of perjury. Is it better (in terms of restoring access to the Eucharist) to suborn perjury on a massive scale than to proclaim sacramental economy?