Divorce and the Catholic Church FAQs
This document is a companion to Marriage in the Catholic Church: Frequently Asked Questions published in 2006 by the Bishops Committee for the Family and for Life of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. In that document we described marriage as a God-given vocation by which a man and a woman give themselves to each other in a life-long partnership. It is an opportunity to experience a love that leads to a deeply fulfilling way of life. Marriage expresses a love that mirrors the love of God and is a path to holiness, to being saints. It is a sign and source of hope and support for others and is celebrated by the Church as a sacrament.
Because it responds to the deepest human aspirations, it follows that breakdown of marriage has a profound potential for hurt and disillusionment. Hardly any family in modern society would not be deeply touched by the pain of members or relatives experiencing marital breakdown.
