Pope Francis says half of marriages today are invalid. He's wrong.

[skepticscott]

http://theweek.com/article/index/261838/pope-francis-says-half-of-marriages-today-are-invalid-hes-wrong

[trotsky]

1. Being committed to the notion that one's church is NEVER wrong...

will necessarily put one into some pretty goofy pretzel positions now and then.

[Proud Public Servant]

2. He's not wrong.

He's absolutely right, within the confines of the rules of the faith which he heads. Don't agree? Don't subscribe to his faith -- a decision I made years ago.

[Act_of_Reparation]

4. That would be a fine attitude to take...

...if the Pope would mind his own fucking business and let those who don't subscribe to his faith be.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. On this issue, as reported (outside a lamentable headline) this seems to apply only to catholics.

He's not talking about my marriage, so I don't need to raise my battle flag on this one.

He's talking about his own little club, which is cool.

[skepticscott]

7. It's not hard to imagine how he truly regards the legitimacy

of marriages not conducted in the Catholic Church, but he's probably not foolish enough to say that out loud. He doesn't even regard any religions other than Roman Catholicism legitimate.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Which is fine with me, because the RCC doesn't own the concept of marriage.

And I'm willing to prove/press the point if they ever deign to make it an issue.

[skepticscott]

9. They ARE making it an issue, by fighting against

legalization of same-sex marriage, even between non-Catholics. They HAVE tried to make their concept and definition of marriage apply to everyone.

[AtheistCrusader]

10. I know.

That's why the perception of me being 'anti-catholic' in certain forums. I constantly drill into that aspect.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. While Francis uses very conservative language to criticize the flaws he as a single 70 year old

sees in heterosexual married couples, I note that he and his subordinates do not use the elimination rhetoric or demonology laced language they always hurl at LGBT people. He does not rail that these couples are 'a destructive attack on God's plan' nor does he say they come from 'the Father of Lies'.
The double standard displays the bigotry of that organization, whose leadership is currently encouraging congregants in Uganda to turn their gay family and friends in to the police and calling for the elimination of LGBT people in Uganda and the world.
Francis' Bishops endorse genocide laws. Francis is a horrible citizen of this planet.

[rug]

6. That's a fair estimate.

This is the money shot.

Unfortunately, the pope's favorite theologian and the pope himself have initiated this discussion in a befogging cloud of pessimism. The pope is said to have speculated that 50 percent of Catholic marriages are invalid, which is to say they were somehow deficient in form (how the sacrament was conducted) or in intent (the couple didn't intend to marry as the church teaches) and thus are eligible for annulments. Such a dire assessment reeks of high-handed clericalism. Worse, it amounts to the pope doubting not just the sincerity of many Catholics, but the grace of God himself.

He's bringing up an important point in advance of the extraordinary synod on the family in October. It's got enormous implications for Catholic teachings on human sexuality and marriages, sacramental and civil.

Too bad you missed it.

BTW, the author you cite is a notorious rightwing shill and traditionalist.

Michael Brendan Dougherty is senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is the founder and editor of The Slurve, a newsletter about baseball. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Slate and The American Conservative.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Deplorable euphamism.

[rug]

12. That's euphemism.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. Sometimes, and this applies to a lot of marriages,

it's not "what God hath joined together". Who said God told two people to get married.

Sometimes it's a mistake, when both parties are not equally committed. You can't make that work.

A marriage certificate does not make someone love you, cherish you, or comfort you, or make the other person forsake all others sexually.

I still say it's Christians, not just Catholics, fetishizing a piece of paper which is a civil contract, and ascribing magical powers to it.

Like conservative politicians who say that poor women wouldn't be poor if they were married. They're poor because they don't have enough money to pay their bills, for whatever reason, not because of their marital status!!

[Warpy]

14. What it does do, and very nicely, is promote a non relative

into first degree relative status, ahead of parents and siblings. All the hearts and flowers are irrelevant, it doesn't do anything about that stuff.

What the pope is likely grumbling about most of all is the remarriage of divorced people, especially the women. Apparently the women are committing adultery and pass the sin on to their new mates. The mates aren't committing adultery, themselves. It requires twisting your brain into a pretzel to understand.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

15. I believe Steely Dan named an album after that.