Pope Takes New Stance on Divorce

 Posted on August 13, 2015 in Divorce

The Catholic Church has historically been a strong opponent of divorce. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, divorce, no matter the cause, is to be avoided if at all possible. Those in a new relationship after divorce are also thought by the Church to be committing adultery. A recent new opinion from the leader of the Catholic Church himself, Pope Francis, shows an interesting shift in the views of the Catholic Church. For the first time in history, Pope Francis has declared that divorce can be considered a “lesser evil” in cases where getting a divorce is “morally necessary.”

The Catholic Church has always considered marriage a permanent union. Catholics believe that, in the eyes of God, a couple getting married forms an unbreakable bond. For this reason, civil divorces are not considered valid by the Church. Divorcees are not able to receive Holy Communion, though the church does make exceptions for those who have had their marriages annulled and those who have not been remarried. While divorcees are still allowed to be a part of the Catholic Church, they are often left with feelings of guilt and exclusion. Any Catholic wishing to remarry in a Catholic church is forbidden unless their former spouse passed away, or they had their marriage annulled. The Catholic Church considers the idea of marriage permanence as universal.