Sorry, that's flat out hypocritical nonsense, a gerrymandering of reality.
** that’s flat out hypocritical nonsense, a gerrymandering of reality.**
And how do you know this? Are you the interviewer here?
“...pay the church for an annulment “
This reply is not to defend the pope in the subject critical content, but to address your comment. You perhaps do not understand the definition of annulment. An annulment doesn’t allow people to remarry. All it does is make official record that a discovery has been made that a marriage between the two concerned parties never legitimately took place. (This is consistent with Jesus words that (paraphrased) What God has joined let no man divide.) And until a serious investigation is made, which can require numerous resources, such discovery is not possible, and the Church therefor assumes that the marriage truly exists based upon prior readily observed evidence.
(Just as a defendant doesnt buy justice from his lawyer, neither does one buy an annulment; they must however pay for services toward discovery. More can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Thanks for your interest in these matters!
The "cost" of the annulment is for the investigation. The tribunal does a through investigation to determine if the sacrament has been confected (performed) correctly. This is a lengthy process that takes a lot of time and paperwork. Not everyone that applies for one gets one and depending on financial circumstances the fee can be waved.
That being said: Yes there have been abuses to the system, but you don't blame the system you blame the individuals.
Are you familiar with the church's annulment process?
ANNULMENT
Official declaration by competent authority that, for lawful reasons, a previous act or contract was invalid and consequently null and void. In ecclesiastical law, annulments mainly apply to marriage contracts over which the Church has the right to determine their validity. (Etym. Latin an-, to + nullus, none; annullare, to annihilate, to annul.)
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.