Dr Joseph Shaw on “Annulment reform: the problems”
25 September 2014
Dr Joseph Shaw is a Fellow of St Benet’s, the Benedictine hall of Oxford University, a member of Oxford University’s Philosophy Faculty, chairman of the Latin Mass Society and the father of young, large family. Earlier this year Dr Shaw blogged a number of times about the controversial ideas which has been proposed in the lead-up to next month’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family:
- Can the Church reform its marriage laws?
- Can the Church change marriage? 2: the ‘Orthodox option’
- Can the Church change Marriage? 3: Discipline
- Marriage: Cardinal Kasper’s options – a critique
On Sunday Dr Shaw blogged on the specific question of reforming of the annulment system, making three main points:
- Quicker and easier annulments are not what the progressives are asking for.
- Quicker and easier annulments undermine the certainty that the subsequent marriage is valid.
- Quicker and easier annulments undermine Catholic marriages.