The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-01-13
NO DIVORCE ALLOWED.

Recent dispatches from Rome
are to the effect that at length a,
decision has been reached in the
proceedings instituted by Count
Boni de Castellane for the annul-
ment of his marriage to Anna
Gould of New York, now the
Duchess of Talleyrand and Sa-
gan. They were granted a civil
divorce in 1906. About a year ago
Count Boni petitioned the Holy
Father to declare his marriage to
Miss Gould invalid.
The Congregation Of the Council
has had the case under advisement
for several months, and after care
fully weighing all the evidence adj
duced in the process received
from the Cardinal Archbishop Of
Paris, it rejected the plea
for annulment. The grounds on
which the application was denied
was summarized as follows: GA
marriage celebrated and consum-
mated if performed according to
the law of the Church, as, until
proved to the contrary, it was in
the case of the Castellane- Gould
marriage, is indissoluble. There
are certain impediments, which,
if existing before the marriage,
can prevent it's celebration, or, if
celebrated in ignorance of them,
render the marriage invalid, in
which case the Church can pro-
claim that the union Of the parties
never in reality existed. But in
the arguments brought forward
by de Castellane no such impedi-
ments have been shown"
The refusal Of the Roman auth
critics to grant the petition Of
Count Castellane is another evil
dence of the unchanging attitude
Of the Church on the question of
divorce, or dissolution of valid
marriage, another proof Of the fact
that wealth and influence avail
nothingwhen aprinclpleis at stake.
The Count is prominent in France
his divorced wife is wealthy
in her own right and was most
anxious that he should succeed in
obtaining divorce in order that
her marriage to the Duke of Tai
leyrand and Sagan might be light
mized and that she might be freed,
as she declared in a public state
ment, "from all moral obligation
to bring up the children (of her
first marriage) in their father s re-
ligion." The Count went to Rome
some weeks ago for the purpose
of bringing all the influence he
could command to bear upon the
Church authorities in order to Sc
cure a favorable answer to his pc
tition.
But, despite all this, Rome
would not-she could not-rende1
a decision contrary to the facts
submitted to the conciliar tribun-
al. Her decision is that the MARI.
age whose annulment was sought
is valid. Count Boni and his div.
creed partner are still husband
and wife in the eyes of the Church
| The lesson is good one for al
and especially for a certain class
of Catholics who labor under the
false impression that money ano
social prestige can accomplish al
most the impossible even in the
Church. It is true, they count fol
much when used for high and holy
purposes; but they are never con
sidered when used in any othe1
cause. The Catholic Church has
fought many stubborn battles il
defence of principle; and for. non,
has she contended more steadfast
4 ~ and in the face Of more deter
mined opposition than for the on,
involved in the case just decided
namely, the permanence of tn,
marriage tie which alone insure,
"a wholesome and stable social con
dition. All the power Of wealth
and rank cannot move the Churcl
from the position she has taken il
regard to the divorce evil.
IL
Tur ppruyrp pArr