Posted on 09/21/2014 1:29:09 PM PDT by marshmallow
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has ordered a review aimed at simplifying the Church's procedures for annulments, the Vatican said on Saturday, a move that could make it easier for Catholics to end marriages.
A statement said Francis had appointed an 11-member commission of canon lawyers and theologians to propose reform of the process, "seeking to simplify and streamline it while safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of marriage".
An annulment, formally known as a "decree of nullity," is a ruling that a marriage was not valid in the first place according to Church law because certain pre-requisites, such as free will, psychological maturity and openness to having children, were lacking.
In the past decades many within the 1.2 billion-member Church have complained that the procedure is too complicated and archaic.
Most annulments take place at the local diocesan level. Each decision must be reviewed by a second tribunal, a step reformers say is superfluous and should be eliminated.
The Church does not recognize divorce. Catholics who divorce and re-marry outside the Church are considered to be still married to their first spouse and living in a state of sin, which bars them from receiving sacraments such as communion.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
It looks more likely.
Divorce is always a major hassle and complicated. Why is this news?
A civil divorce is much easier than an ecclesiastical annulment.
I don’t know where things will lead, but this story appears to be rather straight forward.
“A civil divorce is much easier than an ecclesiastical annulment.”
Unless your name is Kennedy.
I find all of this annulment, and can’t marry an albatross around the neck of innocents that should not be. I agree that divorce is terrible and God hates it, however, he also states to beware those ‘who forbid to marry’ and ‘strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.”
My catholic friend years ago went through an annulment he did not want, and they had three children, so she could marry someone else....He said something profound “How do I tell the best man that the marriage didn’t happen, because he was there, or my parents. How do you tell your children you have never been married to their mother, when obviously by the wedding photos you were?”
I find the Catholic Church immature and not understanding scripture when you can only site those Scriptures meant to discourage divorce. Jesus himself made it clear when he condemned adultery, ‘if you think it in your mind it’s sin”... and that includes adultery, etc’.....’he who is without sin cast the first stone’ and so on.
Also, in the same Bible it says ‘there is only ONE UNFORGIVABLE SIN and that is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” So that would mean suicide and divorce are forgivable sins...meaning they were put in the sea of forgetfulness with all other sins forgiven.
Who in their right man believes some Priest has the right to dissolve a marriage God attended? Ha! More realistic is that he forgives those who make mistakes, and no piece of paper will change that, IMHO.
(not for you Marshmallow)....AND TO THOSE WHO WANT TO JUMP INTO THIS CONVERSATION, DO NOT SEND ME THOSE TWELVE PARAGRAPHS FROM THE BIBLE THAT CAN BE REFUTED WITH TWELVE OTHERS...just read the whole Bible, pray, and get educated about the GOD who forgives sins...period.
On paper, sure. But the outworking in the lives affected is what I was referring to.
Of course it is.
The problem almost ALWAYS lies with the fact that divorced Catholic people want to remarry and that is verboten.
later
later
The story, simply, is that my high school classmate married a guy who, on marrying her, BEAT the living daylights out of her all the time.
Being Catholic he was SURE that annulment was impossible and divorce improbable. They had FIVE children.
One day "mom" told her daughter to go see a priest.
Daughter did.
Daughter got an annulment because there was NO marriage because husband INTENDED on beating his wife as soon as they married and NEVER intended on stopping. It was therefor not a valid marriage because HIS intent the entire time was NOT to "love and cherish." NO VOWS were kept.
So, I asked how my high school classmate was doing NOW and her mother said that she is married to a VERY sweet guy who adores her and she is very happy.
It's unusual to hear a REAL "happy ending." But, it's a true story.
When the panel (made up of clergy and lay people) comes to the conclusion that an annulment is warranted, THEN the marriage is annulled.
And you know this exactly how?
Of course all sins can be forgiven. But that presumes that you have the intention of not sinning again. A person who divorces and marries another commits adultery. Our Lord’s words could not be any clearer. To be forgiven any sin, one must be sorry for having committed it, which obviously includes the intention of not committing it anymore. In the case of divorce and “remarriage” that means reconciling with one’s true spouse. It’s a hard teaching. But it’s not mine. It’s Christ’s. If you have a problem with it, take it up with Him.
For my wife’s father to get a RC annulment to be married to another women he had to declare his children were bastards....
I think this is one area the CC can move into the 21 st. century ....
Your friend does not understand the annulment process. Yes, they were married, he can tell his kids. They are not fatherless as many people claim.
There is always a lot of hurt in a divorce or an annulment.
The priest says that by the authority granted to him he grants absolution of our sins.
That authority is Biblical of course and I know I don't need to quote YOU anything about that from the Bible as I am sure you are cognizant of it: "Whatever you bind on earth...
Beginning Experience, a peer facilitated weekend for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one
It's also linked on my FR homepage.
And even if your accusation is true, that the annulment process is abused for that particular family, then all that shows is that the Church is made up of sinners. What’s news about that?
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