The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-03-07
Marriage Chains Cannot
be Broken
in CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Rev. Father Treiber Says Di-
vorce Tends TO Mormonlsm
"A Spirited and Exhau u.s.
tive Discourse.

"a separation between man and wife
may be allowed. but no divorce is pos
sible in the Catholic church." said the
Rev. Father Treiber. whose scathing
announcement Of the legal severance
Of marriage ties caused stir In the
large congregation which crowded st.
Mary's Catholic church Wednesday
evening to hear another of the series
of sermons on matrimonial questions.
No argument or language was spared
by the Rev. Father Treiber in his de-
nunciation of this evil of church and
society and the stand taken upon the
question was an emphatic one. The
punishment for disobeying the church
divorce law was forcibly set forth as
the greatest which the church can in
flict, that Of accommodation.
In the preliminary passages of the
sermon 1t was held by the speaker
that separation Of an incompatible
union may be permitted by the church;
that Is, where man and wife find 1t
impossible to live in peace and har-
mony, where the family circle can
not exist without serious discord and
dissensions, the man and woman may
then separate and go their different
ways. Yet both remain bound by the
indissoluble bond of marriage and are
so held until separated by death.
"The fundamental and prime law
of marriage" said Father Treiber, sis
its unity and indissolubility.
Marriage is the union of one man
TO one woman for the purposes in
tended by the Creator and the union
lasts until death separates the mar
riage tie.
"Such was marriage from the be-
ginning and such 1t became again
when Christ restored 1t to its primi-
tive state. No power on earth. no
pope, no council, no bishop, no church
can dissolve the bond of valid Chris
tian marriage"
That Christ forbade divorce was ar
gued forcibly and in further support
Of the propositions advanced the
teachings of st. Paul in regard to the
lndissolubility of the marriage bond
were quoted. From the. Protestant ver-
sion of the scriptures were also quoted
passages forbidding the separation of
the marriage union.
"The intrinsic reasons" said the
Rev. Father Treiber, why divorces
should not exist are: First, the di-
vorce Is detrimental to the propaga-
tion of mankind and to the proper
education and care Of children; second
divorce affects the rights of property
and natural Inheritance; third, divorce
with the intention of remarrying in
PRODUCES virtual poligamy with its woe
full consequences upon society. There
fore divorce with the intention OF re-
marrying means practical Mormonism,
limited only by the law.
"The knowledge of the possibility of
procuring a divorce at some distant
day opens the floodgates to the foul
est of crimes.
"No matter what human enactments
may be framed; no matter what laws
Of divorce may be published; no mat
ter how few or how many causes
of divorce be admitted in the govern
ment of our states, the Catholics duty
is plain; we cannot accept of them nor
profit by them to break a lawful mar.
riage.
Hence, any Catholic who attempts
to marry a divorced man or woman,
incurs the accommodation of the
church"