Thread: Pope Francis makes marriage annulments easier

-Pope Francis announced reforms Tuesday aimed at simplifying and speeding up the Roman Catholic Church's procedure for marriage annulments. The new law involves a fast-track process that will be handled directly by bishops.

An annulment is a ruling that a marriage is not valid because certain conditions are not being met, such as free choice, psychological maturity and willingness to have children. The ruling is based on a finding that the marriage contract was fundamentally flawed from the start, and hence invalid in the eyes of the church.

Without an annulment, a Catholic who remarries is considered an adulterer and may not participate in some sacraments, including Holy Communion.

In the document, Francis insisted that marriage remains an indissoluble union and that the new regulations aren't meant to help to end them. Rather, he said, the reform is aimed at speeding up and simplifying the process, especially for poorer people who cannot afford lawyers, so that the faithful can find justice.

The overall aim of the reform, he said, "is the salvation of souls." It calls for the process to be completed within 45 days. Currently, annulments are reviewed by a series of Church tribunals that are subsequently referred, in the event of disagreement, to a Vatican court...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...ment/71864786/

If this new policy is just a matter of making the procedure more accessible to poor and working class people, then it sounds good to me.

So annulment is essentially divorce with a new title that makes remarriage no longer sin...is annulment in the Bible?

Originally Posted by Quest

So annulment is essentially divorce with a new title that makes remarriage no longer sin...is annulment in the Bible?

According to catholics, yes:


Q: A co-worker of mine, who is Baptist, said that nowhere in the Bible does it mention anything about annulments, so he claims that our teaching in this area is contrary to the Bible. How should I respond to him?

A: First, let's be clear on what an annulment is. It is not a "Catholic divorce" as some have referred to it. An annulment occurs when the Church issues a decree of nullity in regard to a particular marriage. A decree of nullity is simply a pronouncement from the Church that a marriage never truly existed (CCC #1629). There could be different reasons for issuing such a decree, but it is basically saying that there was some condition, or conditions, present at the time of the wedding which served as an impediment to an actual marriage bond being formed.

Does the Bible say anything about annulments? Well, yes and no. Your co-worker is right in that the word "annulment" is not mentioned in the Bible; however, the concept behind an annulment can definitely be found in Scripture. For example, the reason John the Baptist was put in prison and eventually beheaded was because he said to King Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

King Herod had married his brother Philip's wife. Even though the marriage may have been legal from the standpoint of the prevailing secular law of the time, it obviously was not in accord with God's law.

So, this is an example of a marriage that was never truly a marriage in the eyes of God, even though it may have been a marriage in the eyes of the state. This is the type of marriage for which, in the Christian era, the Church would have issued a decree of nullity - an annulment - for. By issuing an annulment, the Church is simply saying...

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com...ils.php?id=183

It seems to me that it is cutting down on the paperwork, not so much changing the reason for the annulment.

Just Ask Joan Kennedy Mother Of Three And Kennedy's First Wife Of 24 Years
Just What The RCC Really Thinks Of
RCC Married Woman.....

Originally Posted by krystian

According to catholics, yes:


Q: A co-worker of mine, who is Baptist, said that nowhere in the Bible does it mention anything about annulments, so he claims that our teaching in this area is contrary to the Bible. How should I respond to him?

A: First, let’s be clear on what an annulment is. It is not a “Catholic divorce” as some have referred to it. An annulment occurs when the Church issues a decree of nullity in regard to a particular marriage. A decree of nullity is simply a pronouncement from the Church that a marriage never truly existed (CCC #1629). There could be different reasons for issuing such a decree, but it is basically saying that there was some condition, or conditions, present at the time of the wedding which served as an impediment to an actual marriage bond being formed.

Does the Bible say anything about annulments? Well, yes and no. Your co-worker is right in that the word “annulment” is not mentioned in the Bible; however, the concept behind an annulment can definitely be found in Scripture. For example, the reason John the Baptist was put in prison and eventually beheaded was because he said to King Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

King Herod had married his brother Philip’s wife. Even though the marriage may have been legal from the standpoint of the prevailing secular law of the time, it obviously was not in accord with God’s law.

So, this is an example of a marriage that was never truly a marriage in the eyes of God, even though it may have been a marriage in the eyes of the state. This is the type of marriage for which, in the Christian era, the Church would have issued a decree of nullity - an annulment - for. By issuing an annulment, the Church is simply saying...

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com...ils.php?id=183

Thanks but the irony is that this agrees with me and the Questioner...annulment is a 'catholic divorce' without consequence...
Their bazar use of the Herod issue to defend annulment is absurd...

Catholicism never ceases to amaze me in how twisted they formulate their doctrines.

Originally Posted by FresnoJoe

Just Ask Joan Kennedy Mother Of Three And Kennedy's First Wife Of 24 Years
Just What The RCC Really Thinks Of
RCC Married Woman.....

Didn't the Anglican church start to accommodate Henry VIII divorce of Catherine? Religion seems to always bend to support politics.

Originally Posted by Susan

Didn't the Anglican church start to accommodate Henry VIII divorce of Catherine? Religion seems to always bend to support politics.

Yep, And the religious leadership itself...this is a major cause of theological compromise from the pulpit..One won't preach against what one has self justified.

Originally Posted by FresnoJoe

Just Ask Joan Kennedy Mother Of Three And Kennedy's First Wife Of 24 Years
Just What The RCC Really Thinks Of
RCC Married Woman.....

Right, her marriage was annulled as were the marriages of many other famous catholics including Frank Sinatra and I think Mel Gibson too.


Catholic Church uses five criteria in deciding to grant an annulment

...Some common grounds for annulment requests include that a petitioner never intended to be permanently married or faithful, and that mental illness or substance abuse prevented them from consenting to a lifelong marriage.

The nation’s most famous Catholic family, the Kennedys, have been no strangers to the annulment process.

The late Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy received an annulment from his first wife, Joan, in the 1990s after he admitted — according to her — that he wasn’t being honest when he promised he’d be faithful.

His nephew, Joseph Kennedy II, had his marriage to Sheila Rauch Kennedy annulled after their divorce in 1991, arguing he was mentally incapable of entering into marriage at the time.

Rauch Kennedy, after learning years later that the church had granted her ex-husband an annulment, sought and won an appeal in 2007 from the Vatican that invalidated the annulment...

http://www.providencejournal.com/art...NEWS/309189989