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Pope reaching out to couples with invalid marriages —Bishop Soc
The reforms that will be put in place to make it easier for Catholics to have their marriages annulled is a show of Pope Francis' vision of "mercy and compassion," although the church's teachings on the sacredness of marriage still stand, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, Villegas said Pope Francis' reforms will "simplify the process for the declaration of marriages null and void from the beginning."
He maintained, however, that "the teaching about the indissolubility and unity of marriage remains," adding that the new reforms did not constitute divorce.
With the move, Villegas said the pontiff is reaching out "tenderly to those who suffer from invalid marriages" with a process that "has been simplified and dramatically shortened."
"This new Apostolic Letter reaches out to those Catholics who suffer quietly from the bond and obligations of what they thought was a marriage; when the truth is there was no marriage to speak of from the very start because the requirements for the valid reception of matrimony were not present," Villegas wrote.
He added: "The matrimonial tribunals must be brought closer to the people.... The services of the Church must be more accessible to the people; the process to receive those blessings of new peace for those who have suffered long must be simplified."
Pope Francis on Tuesday published details of reforms, saying that annulments needed quicker resolutions so that those who seek should not be "long oppressed by darkness of doubt" over the state of their marriage.
He said annulments would require approval by only one church tribunal, rather than two, which is the present rule.
In the letter, he added that a streamlined procedure will be introduced for the most straightforward cases and that proceedings will not cost anything.
An annulment, formally known as a "decree of nullity", is a ruling that a marriage was not valid according to Church law because certain prerequisites, such as free will, psychological maturity and openness to having children, were lacking. —NB, GMA News
In a Facebook post, Villegas said Pope Francis' reforms will "simplify the process for the declaration of marriages null and void from the beginning."
He maintained, however, that "the teaching about the indissolubility and unity of marriage remains," adding that the new reforms did not constitute divorce.
With the move, Villegas said the pontiff is reaching out "tenderly to those who suffer from invalid marriages" with a process that "has been simplified and dramatically shortened."
"This new Apostolic Letter reaches out to those Catholics who suffer quietly from the bond and obligations of what they thought was a marriage; when the truth is there was no marriage to speak of from the very start because the requirements for the valid reception of matrimony were not present," Villegas wrote.
He added: "The matrimonial tribunals must be brought closer to the people.... The services of the Church must be more accessible to the people; the process to receive those blessings of new peace for those who have suffered long must be simplified."
Pope Francis on Tuesday published details of reforms, saying that annulments needed quicker resolutions so that those who seek should not be "long oppressed by darkness of doubt" over the state of their marriage.
He said annulments would require approval by only one church tribunal, rather than two, which is the present rule.
In the letter, he added that a streamlined procedure will be introduced for the most straightforward cases and that proceedings will not cost anything.
An annulment, formally known as a "decree of nullity", is a ruling that a marriage was not valid according to Church law because certain prerequisites, such as free will, psychological maturity and openness to having children, were lacking. —NB, GMA News
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