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Lee Cullom's avatar

In reference to the Catechism's comment on divorce being tolerated IF THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION... And I know you mention this as civil separation, but it's worth emphasizing for reasons described later. There is another option -- Legal separation. Though it has different names in many states (for example, it's called separate maintenance in Georgia), it's an option that is better for the petitioner/plaintiff, because it handles not only asset division and custody, but also has healthcare and tax benefits. The difference, of course, is that the petitioner/plaintiff doesn't have the right to remarry. However, separation is better for the children. The harmful results of divorce are well-documented. In fact, I was forced to listen to them all (in Georgia) where some counties require a class before finalizing the divorce. They are -- lower grades, higher alcohol use, higher suicide, higher mortality in general, higher pre-marital sexual activity, higher incarceration rates, higher drug use, etc... When I brought this up to my priest, he was dumbfounded. And he's married! I do think there is a huge awareness gap. What can the church do? Recommend legal separation. That's the bare minimum. Would intervention from a bishop help? Absolutely, because many times pastors might be biased towards a certain spouse. And Bishops could remind the petitioner/plaintiff that divorce is in fact a grave offense against natural law which has already introduced a plague into society that's effects are well-documented. Maybe it's not current law, but it certainly makes a great deal of sense.

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