The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-01-28
WHY THE CHURCH
ANNULS A MARRIAGE

The Rev. Thomas j. Campbell S. j.,
Of New York, lectured on divorce the
otner night before large audience in
Loyola College hall Baltimore. Among
other things Father Campbell said:
The assertion made at mass meet
ing of Episcopalians of New York by
DR.. Silas Is. McBee, editor of the
could afford no help against divorce
because it had introduced a thing more
dIcadful-the annuiment of marriage
by the Pope-comes with very poor
judgment or poor memory from one
whose whole church was built on
marriage annulment The Pope had
refused the annulment of the marriage
CT Henry VIII with Katherine. It
transcribed his power. Whereupon
Henry annulled it himself and insti-
tuted the Church of England.
IF there ever was an occasion when
the Pope ought to have yielded, it was
tfen. The northern nations of Europe
had revolted against the Church; dis
content was seething in the rest. when
the king. who had just been named
Defender of the Catholic Faith. an
ncunced his intention to drag England
il to schism unless his request was
granted. Though the Pope was ad-
vaed that he could do so by bishops
universities and theologians and urged
to it by every motive of public policy
he refused. and England was forever
lost to the Church. Instead of declaim-
ing against annulments of marriage,
Anglicans should be partial to them.
more dreadful than divorces is to claim
tiat they have done more harm. in the
United States, for instance, than the
&C. 900 divorces OF last year, or the 700.
00C in thirty-Iour years, not to speak OF
the rest of the world. But as nobody
has heard of anything like a corre-
spending $4,000 or 100000 annulnents,
The statement cannot be taken serious
II. Nor is an annulment to be consid-
eI ed more dreadful because Mr. McBee
assures us that no Catholic knows
whether his marriage may not be an
RULED
Catholics are not alarmed by any
such possibility. They know perfectly
we'll that the whole fight has been from
the beginning to get men married and
II keen them so. Bishop Doane, who
r. gretted not being at the meeting. is
the authority for the assertion that the
reasons for annulment are innumera-
bic. The wonder is if the reasons for
snnulment are innumerable that the
themselves are not innu-
merable. Or are Catholics so fond of
that they neglect such null
titudinous opportunities of freedom?
As matter of fact. there is no such
thing as an annulment of marriage,
Oh the disruption of d complete and
valid marriage, but there are judicial
declarations that certain essential con-
ditions have not been fulfilled, with the
result that the marriage never was
vaiidly contracted. just as the flaw in
the title deed of house or a defect in
a business arrangement may have rem
dered them invalid from the beginning.
Even children with their catechisms
know these imps sdiments. and Catholics
take care to avoid them. If i'm spite
OF the care with which it is contracted.
d Catholic marriage is discovered to
have a cloud on it because of some de-
feet of which the party or parties were |
ignorant, the Church does not destroy |
the contract, but heals the defect in |
the root and prevents separation
Marriages outside the church are
rot invalid, else converts would be |
obliged TO remarry. which is not the I
Sc. The terror. about the number of |
Catholic dispensations is quite ground |
less. Dispensations do not dispense |
from marriage, but from impediments |
which prevent the contract. They do
-ot follow marriage; they precede it,
and non-Catholics who, in spite of |
heir professed admiration for the
Bible, haven't the slightest concern for
or affinity and who !
marry their cousins and aunts and
lleces and other mems wives. should
rot object to letting Catholics have |
some of the liberty they themselves en-
oy without stint.
The Church always regrets dispen-
'ttions, for impediments were made
or the good of humanity. They were
lot matter of. purchase any more
han is a notary's fee or the payment |
II a fine. They are not for the rich:
ne poor unfortunately obtain them as
sell. If, in certain cases. we are un-
bile to understand why a dispensation
vas granted or even a marriage de-
Jared valid, it may be because we do
Iot know the facts IN the case. and.
4 any event, modesty ought to com
ei us to suspect that the Pope and his
ounselors have quite as delicate a con-
cence as our own" -' l.