Catholic Divorce

Many people believe that the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on marriage is clear and consistent: marriage is a sacrament, the marriage contract is indissoluble, divorce and remarriage are forbidden. In this book, theologians, historians, and sociologists overhaul the church's teaching and practice on divorce and remarriage, as well as personal testimonies from a number of persons who have gone through the annulment process.

Explore the meaning of annulment to Catholics and the Church! This valuable book examines the use of annulment by the Catholic Church to grant divorced Catholics the right to remarry within the Church. Divorce, Annulments, and the Catholic Church: Healing or Hurtful? is the first published study on annulments with wide-scale usage of questionnaires and interviews comparing Catholics who have sought an annulment with divorced Catholics who have not sought an annulment as well as married Catholics. In addition to delivering a quantitative analysis of the responses to various questions (religious, social, or psychological), it explains in lay terms what annulments are and what the acceptable grounds are for annulment and takes you step-by-step through the process of obtaining one. This insightful book also contains case studies of individuals who have been hurt by annulments and offers suggestions on how people who want to contest an annulment should proceed. This well-referenced book: explores the factors that lead to divorce provides a theoretical perspective as to why people either support or oppose annulments examines the religious influence on divorce and remarriage discusses the social integration-related aspects of annulment and divorce for Catholics presents recommendations for petitioners, respondents, clerics, and the members of tribunals who act as advocates, defenders, and judges Divorce, Annulments, and the Catholic Church is an invaluable reference work for counselors dealing with the issue of divorce for Catholics, non-Catholics whose former spouses are seeking annulments, divorced Catholics who are contemplating an annulment, members of the clergy, and members of marriage tribunals and Family Life groups.

This book is a collection of short stories of travel, adventure, and growing up as an Italian Catholic. The author tells stories of her great grandparents that came to America, and how it was literally murder getting out of Sicily. Coming from being poor peasants in Italy, America promised to provide the family with the opportunities to become wealthy aristocrats, even if one had to bootleg whiskey to do it. Shocked by the faith-shaking realization that nuns were actually human beings underneath all that garb, she was still hopeful that the pope would be coming to dinner after she purchased the best china available. With some Italian traditions that just wouldn’t die and too many relatives that did, Annette relates stories of their lives and deaths with wit and humor.

In the first book written specifically for the 11 million divorced Catholics in the United States, Lisa Duffy—CatholicMatch.com columnist and creator of the “Journey of Hope” divorce recovery program—combines personal experience, Church teaching, and more than twenty years of ministering to those wounded by divorce to offer a guide that shows how faith can be a catalyst for healthy dating and relationships. Encouraging yet forthright, The Catholic Guide to Dating After Divorce offers sound advice to anyone who has experienced the deflating effects of divorce, but is not ready to give up on love. Affirming the universal need for intimacy, Duffy—a relationship expert, CatholicMatch.com columnist, and creator of the "Journey of Hope" divorce recovery program—shows how faith can be a catalyst for healthy relationships, helping to identify and uproot emotionally harmful habits and boosting authenticity and confidence. Duffy identifies five essential characteristics of spiritually healthy people—being available, affectionate, communicative, faithful, and magnanimous—and shows how cultivating these qualities can bring out the best, most confident, and most attractive version of anyone. Quizzes, journaling questions, and action steps will help the reader grow in these areas. The book concludes with an appendix on resources for those who need help working through an annulment or who are in need of other post-divorce resources.

Fifty stories of marriages brought back from the brink of disaster. Fifteen more stories of heroic spouses standing for their marriages after spousal abandonment.

A substantial challenge facing the Church today is to help young married couples grow in the attitudes and skills needed to take seriously the indissolubility of their marriage. In a sense, Kelly contends, young couples must begin to realize that they have to create the indissolubility of their own marriage, if it is to exist. Kelly also suggests that the Church should develop an effective theology of pastoral care for those who have been through the trauma of marriage breakdown. While remarriage is not a panacea for everyone wounded in this way, for some it brings real healing and new life. This new edition contains a new introduction and a substantial new Appendix containing a rich collection of articles and book extracts related to divorce and remarriage in the Church. A useful and informative resource for those who minister to the married, divorced and remarried within the faith community.

Through a careful exploration of the background literature of the Old Testament, the ancient Near East and ancient Judaism, Instone-Brewer constructs a biblical picture of divorce and remarriage that is directly relevant to modern relationships.