"There can be annulment but no divorce in Church Marriage"-Fr. Sunil Kumar DSouza

Eugene Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

 

Moodubelle, 31 July 2011: "In Christian Church marriage is a Sacrament and indissoluble. Thus there can be annulment but no divorce in Church Marriage", said Fr. Sunil Kumar D’Souza, Associate Judicial Vicar of Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Mangalore Diocese speaking at a meeting organized by the Lions Club of Moodubelle on Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 7.30 pm. 

 

Fr. Sunil Kumar D’Souza, originally from Moodubelle and presently the Parish Priest Our Lady of Fatima Church, Tannirbahvi, as the chief guest of the Lions Club meeting at Moodubelle delivered an enlightening lecture on the very sensitive topic, "Annulment of Church Marriage-Its causes and Effects."

 

Narrating the causes of the breakdown of marriages, Fr. Sunil said that misunderstanding and minor issues are blown up by couples to seek annulment of marriages through the Diocesan Tribunal. There is a misconception among many that by just applying to the tribunal for annulment of marriage they would get their marriage annulled and they can marry again. But this understanding is erroneous as the Church cannot annul a valid marriage. There is a lot of difference between the civil divorce and annulment of marriage by the Church. Civil divorce can be obtained to terminate a legal marriage, where as annulment of a marriage by the Church can take place only when the original marriage is being considered as violative of the natural and cannon law.

 

Speaking further, Fr. Sunil said that a number of aggrieved spouses approach the Diocesan Tribunal for annulment of their marriages on flimsy grounds such as harassment by mother-in-law or other family members or on the issue of imprudence in the choice of the life partner or bad habits of the wife or husband. He said that such excuses do not form the basis for the annulment of the marriage. In such cases, both the spouses are sent for counselling and many times this helps in solving the marital problems. 

Without mincing words, Fr. Sunil pointed out that in many marriages it is the interference of the parents, economic independence of the wives, suspicion and separation that are some of the chief causes of the troubled marriages and proper counselling and mutual understanding are the remedies that can save such marriages.

 

There was an interaction session during which the audience asked a number of question for which Fr. Sunil gave adequate clarification. Commodore Jerome Castelino appreciated Fr. Sunil’s enlightening speech and thanked him for spending some time interacting with the Lions Club members.

 

The Lions Club meeting began with Brenda  Martis singing the prayer hymn and Joy Fernandes, President of the Leo Club honouring the Indian National Flag. Rajendra Shetty, President of the Lions Club, Moodubelle welcomed the gathering, Lioness President Avani Patel introduced Fr. Sunil Kumar D’Souza and Secretary Vinod Castelino proposed the vote of thanks.

 

Incidentally, the meeting was also attended by Joel D’Sa , President of Bellevision (Bahrain) and his family as well as Mark D’Sa  and his family from the United States and Job Alva.