Pope Francis yesterday dropped another bombshell on the Church and called for all church tribunals around the world to offer marriage annulment services for free.
The Maltese Church – which is still on tenterhooks, awaiting the appointment of the next Archbishop – would probably rather this latest hot potato was not dumped in its lap. Pope Francis, in his inimitable, matter-offact manner, said that people deserve justice from the Church and that “sacraments are free”. But it is not simple shooting first and asking questions later. The Pontiff also believes that those marriages that are not based on a life time commitment are invalid from the start.
The local Curia must listen to what the Pope is saying. The Pontiff clearly states that he believes that cases of annulment should not be at a charge and urged all tribunals to make it happen.
This will pose multiple problems for the local Church. Each annulment costs thousands of euros to obtain and they usually take a very long time to be concluded – increasing costs and increasing heartache for all parties. People that have been through the process have complained that they have been run ragged into getting what they believe is justice, while others have simply had their marriage declared null in very swiftly. The implication behind it is simple – people believe that there is an element of who you know which determines the speed of the process.
Some have recently criticised the Pope for making certain comments. The one about the punch to the mouth if someone insulted his mother was a classic. But it is one of the man’s most charming qualities. He is human and he says things as a human being, not as an omnipotent presence in an ivory tower. He has reached out to the people and the people love him for it. He has succeeded in attracting disillusioned Catholics back to the fold. Not only that, but he is making his teaching relevant to those who do not want to be part of the Church. He said another very human thing not long ago - that Catholics should not breed like rabbits and should be responsible parents. He also told people to put down their tablets and talk to each other. You might not agree with everything he says, but there is no denying that he is a voice of reason and a voice of hope.
“A perfect family does not exist,” he said. “We should not be fearful of imperfections, weaknesses or even conflict, but rather learn how to deal with them constructively. “We should all listen to Francis, and that includes the local Church. The new Archbishop will definitely have a lot of work to get through when he is appointed.