-April 15, 2022, News/Comments
The church has never stood for abusive marriages and this explains why she takes her time to teach couples prior to marriage on their responsibilities. When a marriage becomes abusive the Catholic church has a remedy for such situations. The code of canon law says (Can 1153 §1) “If either of the spouses causes grave mental or physical danger to the other spouse or to the offspring or otherwise renders common life too difficult, that spouse gives the other a legitimate cause for leaving, either by decree of the local ordinary or even on his or her own authority if there is danger in delay”.
However, if after some time of separation, the couple decides to come together, the Catholic church also has a way of managing it. In paragraph 2 of the above canon it says (§2.) “In all cases, when the cause for the separation ceases, conjugal living must be restored unless ecclesiastical authority has established otherwise”.
It is not enough that they return together, the Catholic church takes steps to educate all those involved for the purpose of avoiding the same circumstance or selling a bad impression about marriage to the young. The code of canon law teaches that (Can. 1154) “After the separation of the spouses has taken place, the adequate support and education of the children must always be suitably provided”.In another canon it teaches (Can. 1155) that “The innocent spouse laudably can readmit the other spouse to conjugal life; in this case the innocent spouse renounces the right to separate”.
Regarding divorce, the Catholic Church has no place for divorce in marriage, it’s not a lexicon in catholic sacramental theology. Yet, there’s separation and dissolution. Separation is allowed when the life of any spouse is realistically threatened. Such a Catholic is considered to be in good standing, and is entitled to participate fully in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic faith community. A Catholic who is divorced and remarried without a Declaration of Invalidity (an annulment) is still a member of the Church and is entitled to participate in a limited way in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Church.
Kanu Ikechukwu Anthony is a Catholic Priest of the order of Saint Augustine, Province of Nigeria, and a professor of Religion and Cultural Studies, Tansian University, wrote from Jos, Plateau State
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