I am extremely pleased to read that Pope Benedict XVI has called for Vatican Judges to tighten up the criteria in granting annulments. This follows a report that states 69 annulments were granted in 2005 for truly insufficient reasons including husbands being too attached to their mothers! For those new to the term, an "annulment" is declaring a marriage null and void.
In the Gospel of St. Luke 16:18, Christ tells us that anyone who puts away his wife and marries another, commits adultery!
Unfortunately, the number of annulments from 1952 to 1956 number 359 worldwide. Following Vatican II in 1968, there were 450 in the US alone! In 1997, there were more than 73,000 annulments worldwide! This is outrageous!
Annulments have since Vatican II become the "Get Out of Marriage" Free Card. It's a travesty.
Annulments have since Vatican II become the "Get Out of Marriage" Free Card. It's a travesty.
11 comment(s):
So an annulment makes a man and woman no longer married in God's eyes?
Who wants to write all the zeros in that small percentage.Among that 73k there are a few liars,who have condemned themselves.Among the rest are many saved lives and souls.
An annulment is recognition that a requirement for an actual marriage was not met at the time of marriage.Immaturity,drunkeness,drug abuse,the intent to prevent the birth of children are a few of the impediments.My song about abortion,"Children Of The Dream"is a free download at http://audiostreet/delbertwallegood
Anonymous, an annulment states that a marriage never actually took place because there are certain conditions that had to be in place at the time of marriage for the Sacrament to be valid.
I just want to add a note about Domestic Violence. In those cases, I know the Church would never want a woman to continue to be abused (or if she has children that they continue to live in an abusive home). Abusive men (and women I should add) have traits of being charmers and manipulators, manipulating the woman to marry him, and as soon as she is his property he starts tearing her to shreds mentally, emotionally, financially (and sometimes physically).
More empty talk by another Pope who stands by while Sacramental, valid marriages, the children born from them and innocent abandoned spouses are victimized by a Catholic Church that openly accepts their persecutors many times who have abandoned them for another lover and whom the Catholic Church also embraces openly much to the scandal and demoralization of those left behind.
The Catholic hierarchy is a disgrace and openly blasphemous. Their point is not to bring about repentance and reconciliation as IS THE POINT of the gospel. Their point is to keep the pews and therefore the collection plates full rather than being concerned about truth and justice, which now when spoken are considered vengeful. What a hellish joke Catholicism has become.
It's easy to hurl abuse at the church and i myself have been tempted at times to do so. But it usually stems from a poor understanding of the structure of the church and a failure to accept her role as mother and guide (we tend to look at the church as an institution). We must never forget that Christ the Bridegroom gave His life for His Bride the Church. If He Himself chose her we cannot reject her. If He Himself appointed Peter as the 'rock', we should look upon his successors as a stronghold of the truth.
Everyone makes mistakes. Priests and Bishops alike are human which is why they need our prayer more than our criticism. Constructive criticism is healthy, destructive criticism is just that-destructive.
Let us fall back on these words of Christ with trust:
"I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"
My brother just got an annulment and I am disgusted with the ease of it. He is a deeply religious guy and his wife is too. They are just lazy and immature. Why should I take my ten-year marriage seriously? Is nothing sacred to the church? He is going to get married again I am sure, and it will end for the same reasons. That isn't fair to those of us who take our Catholic marriage vows seriously and work hard at it. But he literally works for the church and thinks he can do no wrong. Please pray that this doesn't chase me away from the Church.
I just found this place to write. I do not know where to go. I was hurt at work two years ago and during that time I was bed ridden. My husband became sexually addicted to internet porn to the point that he would forget to bring me my meals until 9:30 p.m. I had taken care of my husband during 15 years of depression (his) and 15 years of unemployment (his)amongst other events of our marriage. During the last 16 years he has not been intimate with me. He also had an anger management issues. Now that I am talking about divorce he says that he wants to get help. We are married 31 years and while I do not want to throw that away I do not trust him any more (due to the porn) nor do I trust him to be there for me if I am ill. ON one occasion he demanded my rings back. I would also want to get an annulment but I do not know who to talk to about that here in Canada. P.s. He has taken a job out of town without setting up a support of how I will manage. I still can not cook a complete meal and my Drs. do not know if I will have a permanent disability or not. I am a practising Roman Catholic and if I ever meet someone else I do not want my husband>s addiction to stop me from being happy again.
I was originally married in a Protestant church and then eight years later, the ceremony was convalidated. In between, my wife had a tubal ligation, against my wishes. I am being told that because I was aware of the tubal ligation, that it may no longer be grounds for an annulment. I would think that this is not a gray area, and it either is or is not grounds. Who would authoritatively KNOW?
As a 31 year old man awaiting the final decision to be made on his annulment, this saddens me. I say that because only five percent of divorced Catholics actually apply for an annulment. The rest get remarried in Vegas or in a Protestant Church and then those who still want to be considered Catholic just go to a different parish were nobody knows them and receive Holy Communion anyway. There are a lot of falsehoods about annulments that The Church does not address and many parishes do not even offer ministries for those who are divorced. This is a shame considering that just as many Catholic marriages end in divorce as do Protestant ones.
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