The beginning of the end for Pope Francis

The Spectator ^ | 4/14/16 | Damian Thompson

[ebb tide]

The pope wasn't willing to compromise with King Henry VIII on this, even though it cost him England and pret-near the whole Anglosphere for the next 500 years.

Hate to break the bad news to you, but there's a new pope in town now.

[CTrent1564]

You are acting as if it cost a the Gold at Fort Knox to pay for an annulment. The average cost in the US is about $500, many people spend that on Beer in a month, sports, cable TV in 2 to 3 months, etc, etc, etc.

Money really is not the issue at all with respect to annulments. Could be poor defense of the sacrament of Holy Marriage by the Priest Canon Lawyer charged with defending the sacramental bond, but $$$$ is really not an issue in the United States, $500 to pay for annulment can be easily obtained by a working poor person by just avoiding texting too much on your cell phone, curbing your driving habits to save on gas, etc,etc.

[HypatiaTaught]

$500 to pay for annulment can be easily obtained by a working poor person by just avoiding texting too much on your cell phone, curbing your driving habits to save on gas, etc,etc

______________________________________

Wow... Amazing, amazing! Obviously, this is from someone who
does not truly understand the “working poor person” in this country. Btw, gas is relatively cheap now and texting is generally all inclusive in phone plans. Been poor much? :)

[Heart-Rest]

EWTN just broadcast a discussion (with a small panel which included a well-known priest) of this papal document a couple days ago, which took a very different, more negative view of this document and the possible negative effects it could have.

I posted a youtube link to this discussion in this thread, for anyone who might be interested in seeing this discussion, which I found to be very interesting and actually quite shocking to see (coming from EWTN).

[Mrs. Don-o]

"The Synod Fathers noted that Jesus, "in speaking of God's original plan for man and woman, reaffirmed the indissoluble union between them, even stating that 'it was for your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so' (Mt 19:8). The indissolubility of marriage - 'what God has joined together, let no man put asunder' (Mt 19:6) - should not be viewed as a 'yoke' imposed on humanity, but as a 'gift' granted to those who are joined in marriage” - Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitiae(62)

[ebb tide]

Problem is: Francis did not follow through with what the Synod Fathers noted on either the indissolubilty of marriage or homo "unions".

Pope’s exhortation adopts the approach to same-sex unions that Synod fathers rejected

[CTrent1564]

No, if an annulment is truly something a divorced Catholic wants, $500 is not an issue. Working poor spend money on consumer goods and these purchases can be delayed. Rather than buy $200 sneakers, a $40 pair could in the short run work. Rather than buy the next Apple version 7, stay with the Apple version 5 or 6 I phone for a few more months, that is another several hundred dollars of savings.

I was using examples to make a point. The average American has credit card debts up there rear end. Gas is cheap, relatively, but again, curbing driving habits can again save money.

The substance of my post remains, adjusting purchasing habits can easily result in obtaining the $500 needed for an annulment. The means to obtain $500 can vary by individual, but I stand by what I wrote. $500 is not an overly burdensome cost if someone truly values having their marriage situation regularized by the Catholic Church.

Nothing amazing at all. My point is this “cost of an annulment” thing bantered around is nothing but a red herring.