[AnimeSpirit]

Originally Posted by MattyMattyChooChoo

1. "Why is it almost impossible to get a divorce? Why does it have to be called an annulment as if it never happened when there is a divorce?" Divorce has become something very popular in the last 40 years or so, and is something obtainable regardless of the Church. However, the Church has was is called an annulment, which is a lengthy investigation to determine if the couple married by their own free will, psychological concerns, etc.. Basically, the tribunal looks to see if there was ever a valid marriage in the first place.

Biblically speaking, a divorced person who remarries is committing adultery (Matthew 19:9 "Whoever divorces his wife except for fornication and marries another woman commits adultery.") When an annulment is granted, basically the Church tribunal says the marriage was invalid from the get-go. An example to illustrate this concept.

A friend of mine was getting married. Part of the marriage conditions in the Catholic Church are that the couple must be here of their own free will, have the desire to get married to each other, the usual. My friend and her husband said yes to all. Many years later, they were divorced and going through the annulment process, when my friend's husband confessed he lied and claimed that he didn't really want to get married in the first place.

This, combined with other factors of the time of marriage, are reason to declare the marriage was never valid in the first place.

Wow... Nothing against Catholics or Christians of any kind, but I am SO glad none of this applies to me. Things are so much simpler and natural in my tradition.