教皇弗朗西斯宣布改革解除废止婚姻程序

AS IT IS 2015-09-09 Pope Francis Simplifies Marriage Annulment¹ Process 教皇弗朗西斯宣布改革解除废止婚姻程序

Pope Francis has announced measures to reform the Roman Catholic Church’s rules for annulling² marriages.

Under the new rules, the annulment process will be faster. Pope Francis says the process should be completed within 45 days.

A Catholic bishop³ can act on an annulment request if a couple requests one or when neither side opposes it. Another reform removes automatic appeals after the first decision is made. Appeals, however, are still permitted.

The announcement comes after years of criticism of the annulment process. Critics have long said the process can be complex, costly⁴ and often unfair.

Critics say the current system is out of reach for many Roman Catholics, especially in poor countries. They note that such countries often lack marriage tribunals -- religious courts with the power to rule on marriage cases.

Roman Catholic teachings do not recognize divorce. The church has long criticized divorced Catholics. It says they have no right to end their marriage and later re-marry outside the church. Such individuals are barred from taking part in communion and other Christian⁵ ceremonies.

In the new document, the pope stated that marriage remains⁶ an indissoluble union. He also says the new rules are not meant to help end marriages, but to speed up the process so that Catholics can find justice.

There will be no cost for an annulment, except for the payment of the tribunal personnel.

Words in This Story

annulment – n. the act of cancelling something

divorce – n. the ending of a marriage

indissoluble – adj. impossible to destroy, break up or get rid of

1 annulment   

n.废除，取消，（法院对婚姻等）判决无效

参考例句：

• The annulment caused a profound impression in Japan. 同盟的废止，在日本发生了强烈的反响。 来自辞典例句
• Law An annulment acquittal; dismissal, of a court order. 取消，宣告无罪；法院命令的撤销。 来自互联网

2 annulling   

v.宣告无效( annul的现在分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去

参考例句：

• Cancellation: Voiding a debt by annulling or paying it. 撤销，解除[债务]:以取消或偿付的办法使一笔债务失效。 来自互联网

3 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。