Are you Catholic, MHGinTN?
Newt is, and I am. What makes you qualified to discuss what the Catholic church teaches on this issue.
I am not saying that those who are not Catholic are bound to the same rules that the Catholic church binds itself. Hardly.
Those who are not Catholic are free to practice divorce, gay marriage, whatever they want. They are not being held to the same standard as those within the Church.
So if you don’t like the Catechism, that’s fine, but those who are Catholic are supposed to abide by what the Catechism teaches.
Just thought I’d respond to this as I was reading through these posts and saw this argument brewing over the Catholic church and marriage. I am a practicing Catholic, I was married in the Catholic church. I got divorced. I then sought and received an annulment from the Catholic church. Had I NOT been married in the church the 1st time, I would not have needed an annulment, as the church would not have recognized the marriage as a marriage. I re-married IN the Catholic church. Thing is, the church DOES allow for an annulment if they feel the marriage should never have occurred. This frees you to re-marry in the church. It takes a lot of time, determination and trouble to get an annulment but if they agree you deserve it, they grant it. I am forever thankful that mine was granted.
For what it’s worth ;o)