Pope Francis Says Marriage Is Not By Force Again oooo, ehen!

In a ground-breaking move today, the bestest Pope ever made moves to streamline and hasten the steps Catholics need to go through in order to annul a marriage.

Pope Francis in a radical move today has in a series of reforms changed the process for marriage annulment in a bid to be more in tune with lay Catholics who have long felt marginalised by the hierarchy. Without these annulments, Catholics who remarry are not allowed to receive Holy Communion, which many describe as a painful exclusion from the church’s chief sacrament. Also, the entire process was time-wasting and costly.

The three main changes to the process are:

• Eliminating a second review by a cleric before a marriage can be nullified. Now, just one review is sufficient.
• Giving bishops the ability to fast-track and grant the annulments themselves in certain circumstances — for example, when spousal abuse or an extramarital affair has occurred.
• The process should be free, except for a nominal fee for administrative costs, and should be completed within 45 days.

While Pope of Forever, Pope Francis reaffirmed the “indissolubility of the marriage bond,” he also said in Tuesday’s documents that “charity and mercy demand that the Church, as mother, be close to her children who consider themselves separated.”

This is making me so happy, so excited, so desirous of a high-five with the good Pope. Against all odds, times, they are a-changin’ and when something doesn’t work, your faith should be your saving grace, not a hanging noose.

What do you think this means for Nigerian Catholics? I personally think it’s good news. If it’s not working for you anymore, then everybody should come and be going mbok.