Catholic World News - Vatican Update - 01/21/2000

Pope Rejects New Theory on Marriage Annulments

VATICAN - JANUARY 21, 2000 (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II met on January 21, 2000 with judges from the Vatican's canonical courts, and urged them not to accept theories that undermine the teaching of the Church regarding the indissolubility of marriage.

Each year the Pontiff meets with the members of the Roman Rota at the start of their judicial year. This year, the Pope warned the canonists against "certain opinions which have sprung up in the domain of theological and canonical research." These opinions, he said, cast a shadow over the indissoluble character of Christian marriage. He insisted that a Christian marriage cannot be declared null simply because it was contracted in a society that accepts divorce.

The Church may, after careful examination in an ecclesiastical court, declare the "nullity" of a marriage, the Pope said. In other words, the Church court may find that a valid Christian marriage never took place. However, such a declaration does not undermine the essential principle that a valid Christian marriage cannot be dissolved-- "even if the prevailing mentality in the society in which we live has trouble accepting this fact."

Pursuing the topic further, the Holy Father told the Vatican judges that a marriage cannot be annulled simply because the two parties were affected by the prevailing attitudes of the surrounding society. Specifically, he continued, even if a couple enters marriage without a clear intention of remaining married for life, that lack of conviction is not, by itself, sufficient grounds for an annulment. The marriage can be declared null only if the couple actually denied the principle of indissolubility, and that attitude affected their decision to marry. The Pope pointed out that what he was saying was a direct contradiction of "a presumption that has sometimes, unfortunately, be formulated by some tribunals."

The Pope stressed that the Church does not have the power to dissolve Christian marriages. "A sacramental marriage which has been celebrated and consummated can never be dissolved, even by the power of the Roman Pontiff," he said. He underlined the importance of upholding Church teaching, particularly at a time when society in general disregards the permanence of marital bonds.