Vatican City, Mar 12, 2016 / 04:02 am
On Saturday Pope Francis told participants in course on the streamlined annulment process that the main goal of the new norms is pastoral, and seeks to reach out to families suffering from a broken marriage.
"These measures have an eminently pastoral goal: to show the Church's concern for those faithful who are waiting for a quick verification on their marital status," the Pope said March 12.
He noted that many faithful suffer due to the end of their marriages, and couples are frequently "oppressed by doubt" as to whether or not their marriage was valid or in valid.
It is out of both charity and mercy, as well as lived experience, that the Church decided to create the new, streamlined annulment process, which aims to grow closer to persons with a failed marriage, and to meet "their legitimate desire for justice," he said.