Can A Catholic divorce?
Wikipedia says the Church prohibits divorce. Wikipedia is wrong! The answer is difficult to understand, so no wonder why Wikipedia and so many Catholics are confused.
When Nancy went to confession about difficulties with her marriage, the priest told her to file for divorce. How could a priest do that? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, (CCC) 2383 states, “if civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense.” Nancy met with her priest afterwards and her priest told her that her home was not a healthy home for her baby to grow up in.
Nancy did divorce her husband. It was not just because of what the priest had said. When she told their marriage counselor she wanted a divorce, he said, “Good, your husband has problems.”
Once Nancy was able to get away from the toxicity of her home, she was able to work on herself. As she changed for the better, her ex-husband changed, and their relationship also changed for the better. As a result, their son grew up in two healthy homes with two parents that cared about him. Both parents together were involved in all major decisions and celebrations with their son in a peaceful and respectful manner.
When Nancy looks back, she realizes she did not understand the impact of her own issues, and those of her husband, at the time she was married. She did not make a good choice in choosing her partner. It was not until after her baby was born that all the problems were so apparent. It took a divorce for Nancy to be able to provide a stable home for her son.
Not all of her son’s friends were so fortunate. Many of them grew up with conflict and turmoil.
Sometimes their parents were divorced and they were so busy arguing and pointing the finger at each other, they never grew and changed for the better. Other friends of Nancy’s son had parents who stayed married, but their house was toxic because there was so much yelling.
Kids suffer when they grow up with high conflict. Conflict hurts kids, whether parents are divorced or married. People talk about how traumatic divorce is on kids, but so is a house filled with conflict.
CCC 2383 tolerates divorce for the care of the children. The church is not against parents who are attempting to do what is best for their children. The church loves you and wants you to feel the peace and joy of the risen Lord.