Pope Francis Streamlines the Annulment Process

March 2016By Philip C.L. Gray
Philip C.L. Gray, J.C.L., is President of the Saint Joseph Foundation (stjosephcanonlaw.com; 740-937-2054), a nonprofit organization that assists the faithful in protecting their rights under canon law. This article originally appeared in somewhat different form in the foundations newsletter Christifidelis (vol. 33, no. 6; Nov. 4, 2015) and is reprinted with permission.

These changes in law take place during a time of rampant moral relativism that has imbedded itself firmly within modern thought and practice including the thoughts and practices of clerics, religious, and laymen who catechize and influence millions of people. Oftentimes, this moral relativism is expressed in the Church by way of a negligence that encourages a coexistence with evil rather than affirmative action to denounce it. For example, what have bishops and priests done to decrease the number of divorces and encourage fidelity in marriage? Where was the outrage from American bishops over the Supreme Courts recognition of same-sex marriage? What is the most affluent bishops conference in the world doing to address an evil that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and was cited as a cause for the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews (cf. Isa. 3:9; Jer. 23:14; et al.)?

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