[Republican Red]

Kerry is also divorced. How is it he is still considered a Catholic in good standing?

[JohnnyZ]

Kerry is also divorced. How is it he is still considered a Catholic in good standing?

From another comment on this thread I gather he got his first marriage annulled. The annulment rules are pretty flexible, and NOT just for famous people. There's usually an argument that can be made. I'm surprised that he actually would go to that length instead of just remarrying outside the Church.

Tom Daschle didn't get an annulment, just divorced and remarried, and again, shockingly, claims he doesn't present himself for communion.

[Salvation]

**Kerry is also divorced. How is it he is still considered a Catholic in good standing?**

A Divorced Catholic CAN receive Holy Communion -- as long as they do not remarry.

Also I am not aware that an annulment on the first marriage was ever granted to Kerry.

[Aquinasfan]

Kerry is also divorced. How is it he is still considered a Catholic in good standing?

He may or may not be. We can't know unless he makes public the fact that he did or didn't receive an annulment from the Church.

An annulment, or "declaration of nullity," is a (fallible) determination by a Church tribunal that a marriage did not take place. In determining whether a declaration of nullity is justified, the Church only considers the time leading up to and including the wedding. What happens afterward is irrelevant.

This practice is based on Jesus' declaration that marriage is permanent. But the question arises of what constitutes a marriage. Clearly, a wedding of two drunks is invalid, for example. This is one criteria for granting an annulment. Another is coercion. Another is failure by either party to be open to the prospect of children or to consider marriage to be a lifelong union. Considering these facts, it should not be surprising that many annulments are granted in the US today. Like my priest says, "anyone who marries a Kennedy should receive an automatic annulment.

Although the judgment of the tribunal is fallible, Catholics are obligated to adhere to the tribunal's judgment out of obedience to legitimate authority.

[Irreverent Doyen]

Kerry is still considered a Catholic even though he divorced his first wife. Yet, we don't know if Kerry is able to take the sacrament of communion during Mass, or if he is eligible to have the last vows administered to him on his death. The fact that he now wants an annulment of his first marriage makes him out to be a hypocrite like RFK's eldest son.

I blame the Catholic church for starting this irresponsible behavior. The Catholic church takes hypocritical positions, depending on who the person is, their power, and what they can do for the Church. The Church is like any other political organization -- power is the name of the game.

What is intriguing to me is how quiet the Church has been on this issue -- I have not read anything that states whether or not Kerry has received an annulment. If he is successful in getting his first marriage annulled, it should make his two daughters feel great that they are bastards.

I am not anti-Catholic, I am anti-hypocrisy. Does America need a man like Kerry for President? I hope we all think hard on this question?