Divorce: Pope Francis & The Catholic Church
Alexandra Stefanakis
Annulment Vs. Divorce Annulment: To receive an annulment, the marriage needs causation that it wasn’t valid. The determination of the marriage’s validity has to consider if the couple had intercourse, they did not expect a permanent, faithful and fruitful marriage under God. Those circumstances can cause the marriage to be invalid.
* 20.8% of the US Population identifies as being Catholic, and these numbers are dropping.
Divorce: First, divorce is a civil law decree from the state, whereas an annulment is a canon law decree from the Church. In other words: The state issues a marriage license; and the state issues a divorce decree. The Church celebrates the Sacrament of Marriage; and only the Church can issue a Decree of Nullity (otherwise known as an annulment). The Church does not believe in divorce.
Summary of Traditional Catholic Views on Divorce Divorce is nearly impossible, unless you try and prove it never existed. To prove that, there needs to be strong evidence of abuse (verbal and physical), unfaithfulness, no consummation of the marriage, and etc. A valid marriage consists of consummation, then after that deed is done, the marriage is bound until one of the spouses dies. Catholics can remarry if their spouse dies, without committing adultery. Divorced Catholics cannot participate fully in the church, such as confession, communion, and etc.
Bible Verses To reinforce the points on the previous slide, here are some bible verses that clarifies where these laws originate. (Matthew 5:1&32) 31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
(Luke 16:18) "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (1 Corinthians 7:39) A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
Contemporary View: Washington Post/ PEW “In terms of the average Catholic who is seeking annulment, this makes an already painful situation easier, and that is Pope Francis’s intent,” Pecknold said. “You can see a clear pastoral eye on this decision. He doesn’t want any long waits; he basically wants the decision to come from the bishop.” Most American Catholics who grew up in the religion are leaving the faith, and not turning back “77% of people who are raised Catholic, but no longer identify with the religion” Although mainly a statistic based article, again there is bias towards change.
Catholic Church Views- via Bishop "We [bishops] understand the pain of those for whom divorce seemed the only recourse.” "We urge them to make frequent use of the sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation…” "We encourage divorced persons who wish to marry in the Catholic Church to seek counsel about the options that exist to remedy their situation, including the suitability of a declaration” “If a person was previously married and the spouse is alive, it must be demonstrated that the marriage was invalid, so the previous union can be declared null and void through an annulment. If that happens, both parties are free to marry someone else — the Church hopes validly this time.”
Members of the Catholic Church’s Views “I consider myself Catholic to this day. I just can’t participate”- Carol Trankle, New York Times interview Divorce Members feel that they are exiled, and these members cannot participate in Communion and Confession, in addition of being labeled as an adulter. The vast amount of cultural and practicing Catholics want major change, and this extends into other issues as well, such as; abortion, birth control, homosexuality, and etc. ,
Contemporary View: NY Times Only 15% of divorced Catholics seek an annulment, according to Georgetown University and lower than the national average. The biggest question that this article highlights is “Where do I fit in the church?� From the people they interviewed, basically everyone feels that they long for change, and millions express frustration. Only one small paragraph provides information on the other view (the traditional way, which is pro- not letting divorced people participate) that basically explains that they are fighting back equally.
Only 15% of divorced Catholics seek an annulment, according to Georgetown University and lower than the national average
Can you remarry after divorce? If a person was married validly and then divorced but never obtained an annulment, then that person is still married in the eyes of the Church. He or she cannot validly marry again in the Catholic Church. Remarriage isn't out of the question for Catholics: Like the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, the Sacrament of Matrimony can take place only once, unless one spouse dies. Due to the lifelong commitment that’s required for the Sacrament of Matrimony, Catholics can marry only someone who’s widowed or who wasn’t married before. If a person was previously married and the spouse is alive, it must be demonstrated that the marriage was invalid, so the previous union can be declared null and void through an annulment. If that happens, both parties are free to marry someone else — the Church hopes validly this time.
62% of Catholics according to a recent PEW Poll, want change the marriage laws by the option of being able to divorce and remarry without an annulment to receive Communion. Gallup poll, 71% of Catholics sampled that divorce is morally acceptable. 4.5 million Divorced and remarried Catholics in the US do not have annulments.
Pope Francis Views Losing Members, he is encouraging to open the doors of divorced and remarried Catholics. “They always belong to the church.” Archaic laws: “The reason for this change is that society has changed. This speeded-up procedure recognizes and reflects a new reality.” In September 2015, the pope announced that he will have new revisions to speed up the lengthy process. Most far reaching towards a new direction in the annulment process Easier to remarry No second judgement, through a second bishop Eliminates administrative fees Still does not recognize divorce
Changing in a New Direction Parishes with outreach programs are trying to counsel and have more involvement with divorced catholics and catholics going through the brutal annulment process. The cost of an annulment, many Catholics want the process of annulment to be free of charge. The confrontation that divorce’ experience are being eliminated by having only one bishop review the request for the annulment, versus having two bishops review the request. Realistically, most Catholics want change in divorce, and there are steps no doubt to create more acceptance.
Works Cited Gibson, David. "Pope Francis Says Church Must Welcome Divorced, Remarried Catholics - Religion News Service." Religion News Service. 5 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. Gilgoff, Dan. "Gallup Poll: Catholics the Same or More Liberal Than Others on Moral Issues." US News. 1 Mar. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. Jenkins, Jack. "Why Pope Francis Is Polling The World's Catholics."ThinkProgress RSS. 16 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2015 Ohlheiser, Abby. "Pope Francis Announces Biggest Changes to Annulment Process in Centuries." Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. Paulson, Michael. "As Vatican Revisits Divorce, Many Catholics Long for Acceptance." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. Unknown."Vast Majority of U.S. Catholics Who Left the Church Can’t Imagine Returning, Study Says." Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. Unknown."The Catholic Church, Divorce, and Annulment." - For Dummies. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.