Drink impaired marriage decision, court rules

Carla Vella

Nov 1st 2009, 15:21

@MarionPace
I believe God knows the real circumstances of the people who want to exit their marriage through a divorce rather than annullment. Annullment conveniently declares that the marriage never existed, despite the real love and commitment that had genuinely existed between a couple. Sadly things happen (or not) in life and so divorce accepts the marriage but also the irretrievable breakdown. Don't get me wrong; I believe in genuine efforts by both parties and the support of the extended family & community to save a marriage. But not fruitlessly forever. Are all these men & women then going to hell because they left abusive marriages through divorce instead of through annullment? Difficult marriages are not abandoned all that swiftly by the couples concerned; it is not that easy to do either. And why would the church be so insistent upon making the children of such couples "illegitimate" ie, in effect, born out of wedlock (because marriage is then annulled).

Marion Pace

Oct 31st 2009, 18:56

Miss Vella the priest may have let you receive holy communion but you have to be judged by God. No one will stop you from receiving holy communion. Its not the priest who decides whether you are sinning or not but Our Father in Heaven. Even if you commit a murder no one will stop you from receiving holy Communion. We all know the ten commandments and the teachings of Christ in the New Testament. If we want to go to heaven we have to respesct his laws and make alot of sacrifices including facing our mistakes.

Andrew Vella

Oct 31st 2009, 16:23

1. It is still unclear whether this couple attended the Cana course because the article did not stipulate that they had married in Church.

2. Even if they did marry in Church (hence being required to attend the Cana course) ... this course is not aimed at being the perfect X-ray at diagnosing the couple's relationship, assessing what needs to be done and arbitrarily arriving at a decision of whether the couple goes on with the marriage or not. IT IS UP TO THE COUPLE'S RESPONSIBILITY to realise whether it makes sense for them to marry or not.

3. Divorce will still not solve the problem. The problem is not marriage breakdown - I think that marriage breakdown is the result of a deeper, earlier problem - lack of solid communication and self-awareness and self-disclosure between people forming a couple, besides the possible lack of a profound understanding of what marriage is intended to be. Hence one needs not wonder why so many marriages fail when there exist many ingredients which quite expectedly constitute the recipe for disaster!

4. The state should also have its own marriage preparation course to prepare couples for marriage - it should also be compulsory.

edward bartolo

Oct 31st 2009, 16:21

Quote: "This couple attended the Cana pre-marriage course, but it seems that the course did not help the couple to recognise the fact that they were not fit to marry."

Corollary 1:
Therefore, we can close down all schools together with the university!

Corollary 2:
Education is useless!

Leo Bartolo

Oct 31st 2009, 13:03

This couple attended the Cana pre-marriage course, but it seems that the course did not help the couple to recognise the fact that they were not fit to marry. What use was the course in this case?

Carla Vella

Oct 31st 2009, 10:41

Like myself, many men & women married when very young, or not so young, & "in love". Additionally, yes, most of these people truly "loved" eachother and planned to spend their whole life together. Sadly, the union was not to last the lifetime. This does not mean that the love and the marriage never existed between these couples.

And so there are 1,000s of us not-annulled but either living miserably together, making their children unhappy, or they are living separately, feeling religious &/or cultural guilt & embarrassment if in a new (non-blessed) relationship, and financially tied up in knots.

Those of us who managed to get divorced abroad have been able to draw a line in the sand and start a new life, which for most of us has been a blessing in itself because our children, despite their parents' estrangement, have flourished, have learnt to be strong, independant, and expect better quality loving relationships, rather than tolerate or suffer oppressive or abusive family lives.

Well, that's my view anyway. And to the priest that let me receive holy communion at my brother's wedding, despite my divorce & living-in-sin status, thank you for being a reasonable man. Appreciated by all.

N Xerri

Oct 31st 2009, 10:07

My concern is not annulment or divorce, but how many persons and families are suffering due to alcohol abuse and alcoholism, while very little is done to ameliorate this problem.

C farrugia

Oct 31st 2009, 09:37

just introduce divorce and stop these stupid annulments which make no sense, especially since so many annulments occur that it cannot be that all these marriages never existed.....this is what is shaking the grounds of marriage, the number of marriages which strangely enough never existed, not divorce