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I received the following question and I was hoping you could help me answer it:
Mike,
Why do you support the right of people
to seek a divorce?
Pope John Paul II, who rails against legalized
same-sex marriage, is the very same Pope John Paul II who urged the Irish in Ireland
to vote to keep divorce illegal.
William LaBarge
Mike
{
Can you help me answer this question: Why
do you support the right of people to seek
a divorce? }
Eric replied:
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the question.
As far as I can tell, his point is
that divorce should be legal, and
while I don't know the facts for sure, on whether the Pope urged the
Irish not to vote for the legalization
of divorce, this seems consistent
with his character. Your interlocutor
obviously expects you'd be shocked
that the Pope would oppose the legalization
of divorce, and hence is trying to
use this as leverage in his argument.
He's
obviously misjudged you since, if
you're like me, you think, *of
course* he would oppose the
legalization of divorce, what else
would he do?
Although to be honest, I'd support
divorce, but not remarriage without
an annulment. So basically, we have
a major cultural disconnect here.
Although the Catechism does say that
under certain circumstances, civil
divorce is tolerable: (CCC
2383),
Divorce.
.
.
2383 The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law. (cf. Code of Canon Law, Canons 1151-1155)
If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense.
I expect the Pope was
not opposing the legalization of
divorce, per se, but the extent it was being liberalized.
Eric Ewanco
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