Pope emphasizes 'indissolubility of Christian matrimony' (Ecumenical)

Pope Francis on April 25 stressed the need for bishops and priests to give a “consistent witness” to Christian moral teaching, including the lifelong nature of Christian marriage, and to teach these truths “with great compassion.”

“The holiness and indissolubility of Christian matrimony, often disintegrating under tremendous pressure from the secular world, must be deepened by clear doctrine and supported by the witness of committed married couples,” Pope Francis said.

“Christian matrimony is a lifelong covenant of love between one man and one woman; it entails real sacrifices in order to turn away from illusory notions of sexual freedom and in order to foster conjugal fidelity.”

The Pope’s remarks came in a meeting with bishops from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Swaziland...Vatican Radio reports....

Pope Francis’ comments follow media reports about the contents of a recent phone call he allegedly made to a remarried divorced woman in Argentina. The woman claimed that the Pope told her she could receive Holy Communion.

Catholic teaching recognizes the nature of matrimony as indissoluble, so a new marriage can only be contracted if the first union was found to be invalid. Those who have entered a new union without a recognition of annulment may not be admitted to Communion.

On April 24, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that the media coverage of the woman cannot be confirmed as reliable and is “a source of misunderstanding and confusion.”

In his comments to the southern African bishops, Pope Francis also noted the damage caused by abortion and an attitude of disrespect for life.

“Abortion compounds the grief of many women who now carry with them deep physical and spiritual wounds after succumbing to the pressures of a secular culture which devalues God’s gift of sexuality and the right to life of the unborn,” he said.

I agree with the Pope, and even if I didn’t, I would comply. People should really get an annulment, but from what I understand it isn’t easy.

I have dissagreed having seen friends try to maintain their marriage only to endure decades of infidelity. They married someone who lied about who they were. An annulment is not easy and takes some money. It’s not always something divorcees have.

I now realize that the requirement of annulment probably saved my vulnerable friends from getting involved with someone else too soon. I can’t imagine how some people expose their children to all the characters they date. NOT GOOD. The requirement for an annulment creates a conscience and respect for family that too few people have.

That said, their are cases of indigenous and uneducated Catholics in other countries who dont have the wherewithall to get an annulment. A divorce is traumatic expecially after enduring years of psychological abuse. I think they should give indigenous cultures more understanding, and spouses who unknowingly entered a marriage to addicts, sex addicts in particular, should have an painless annulment.

“Can you document these “millions” of defective marriages? You do understand that it is the couple that confects the sacrament of marriage, and the Priest acts as the witness for the Church?”

Yes... In the sixties when I married, and it’s true today... probably even more so, when a person enters into Holy Matrimony with the social mindset that it is NOT a forever till death do us part deal, then it’s defective.

Allowing small print such as “as long as he is faithful”, or as long as she doesn’t “she doesn’t let herself go - ie; get fat”. When you put a qualifier on the wedding vows, the marriages are defective, and you do not have a sacramental marriage.

I chose those two issues because those are the two most common reasons; infidelity for women and fat for men, that are listed as the primary stated reason for divorce.

“I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”

There are no exclusions in there for infidelity or getting fat. Clearly what the bride and groom promise is not inclusive... Not just in an isolated case, but in most cases.

If a couple suggested such an exclusion to their pastor before the church wedding, they would not be getting married in the church.

So yes... It is millions of defective marriages. Probably the majority. Probably yours as well if you were to be honest about it.

As for mine, I have been married for going on 46 years. It hasn’t always been easy and I have not always been a model husband or her a model wife. But we’ve endured none the less..

For those whose marriages have fallen apart, it probably wasn’t a sacramental marriage to begin with.

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