Pope Francis
Announces Historic Changes to Catholic Marriage Rules, Makes Annulment and
Remarriage Easier
Pope Francis has brought in historic reforms
to rules concerning marriage annulment and remarriage within the Roman Catholic
Church as part of his "Year of Mercy" initiative.
Although Catholics do not recognize divorce,
marriages can still be ended through an annulment process that states they were
flawed from the beginning.
Annulment is of central importance to
Catholics, since those who divorce and marry again are considered adulterers
and not allowed to receive communion.
Historically the process has been very long
and difficult, but CNN reported that Francis has now made
important changes to the rules that will make it easier for Catholics to
remarry.
Among the changes is the elimination of a
second review by clerics needed for a marriage to be nullified; granting
bishops the ability to fast-track annulments, and making the process free,
except for administrative costs.
A report on Vatican Radio shared further
details about the changes, which were introduced by two apostolic letters written
by Francis and released on Tuesday. The first letter, "The Lord Jesus,
Clement Judge," talks about reforms to the Code of Canon Law governing the
Latin Church, while the second deals with Oriental Churches.
Francis has said that "some procedures
are so long and so burdensome," that "people give up." The
pontiff designated 2015 as the "year of mercy," aimed at reaching out
to excluded or marginalized people.
Archbishop Luis Ladaria, SJ, a member of the
reform commission and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, said the changes will help Catholic churches achieve unity.
"In this [nullity] process as well, the
appeal to the Apostolic See is open to all, in order that the bond between the
See of Peter and the particular Churches be confirmed," Ladaria said.
"We all hope that this reform of the
Code of Canon Law will bring with it the fruit the holy father desires, and
that many pastors and faithful desire with him as well."
BBC's religious affairs correspondent Caroline
Wyatt noted that the Vatican's refusal in the 16th century to grant King Henry
the VIII an annulment of his marriage led to the creation of the Church of
England.
"In the intervening centuries, the
process of obtaining an annulment for ordinary Catholics has remained a lengthy
and costly one," Wyatt said.
"While they're not expected to change
Catholic teaching on divorce, they are likely to make it easier for estranged
couples to prove that their marriage was invalid from the beginning."
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