The Vatican’s announcement about the streamlining of canon law with regards to the annulments, should not be seen as a softening of the Holy See’s stance on marriages. The Church’s position is still the same. It doesn’t condone divorce. However, on Tuesday, Pope Francis simply revised the process, whicih will come into effect on December 8, streamlining certain steps that the laity found drawn out and lengthy.
The main changes were the elimination of the second clerical review and the granting of power to bishops to grant annulments themselves in special cases, spousal abuse or extramarital affairs for instance. The process is now free too. Earlier, Catholics who remarried civilly but refused to get an annulment, for reasons mostly related to the tedious and lengthy process, could not receive communion in church. The process was such a big deterrent that many Catholics did not marry a second time but indulged in live-in relationships. All this will change.
These steps by Pope Francis upholds the assertion that the new Pope is looking to make the church more responsive to the Catholic layperson, most of whom have felt marginalised by the church with what many perceive as Draconian laws. This move will certainly increase the number of annulment requests but will also bring many on the sidelines back to the Catholic fold. The end result, a stronger Church.
So, while the Church is not making it easier to end a marriage, or softening its stance on divorce, it is moving forward with the times.
