Catholic Radio – Upholding Marriage this week

Both Relevant Radio’s Msgr. Swetland and ETWN’s Colin Donovan upheld marriage this week.

Msgr. Swetland Encourages Faithfulness

Listen to 4 minute excerpt from December 17 in which Msgr. Swetland encouraged a husband whose wife is having an affair.

“If one side of the marriage is unfaithful, that doesn’t mean the other side just can wash their hands of the marriage.  They must remain faithful to the marriage.” […] “You are doing the exact right thing of trying to work out your marriage, trying to save your marriage, because that is what is best for you and best for your children. They need a father and a mother. They need a father and a mother who are together if at all possible.”

Msgr. Swetland discusses how God’s fidelity to humanity is the model of how one spouse is obligated to love the other. “Be faithful, persevere , fight that good fight of faith. If you want to take an example of the Old Testament, you might want to read the prophesy of Hosea, who had to deal himself with an unfaithful wife” (find full show on Relevant Radio here).

Colin Donovan says Divorce has a Guilty Party

On December 20 on ETWN’s Open Line Friday, their Vice President of Theology, Colin Donovan took a question from a woman asking whether she is required to get an annulment. Colin imagines that the questioner is not cohabiting with anyone nor in a civil marriage with a new person.  After spending a couples minutes answering the question and clarifying that no annulment is required to receive the sacraments, Colin made an important distinction.

“If you were the guilty party who broke up the marriage, then you might have something to take to confession and consider whether there is an opportunity here to reconcile with your spouse” (find full show on EWTN here).

While Colin mentions nothing about the canon law on divorce, he at least made the point that there is a guilty party when a marriage breaks up. If the caller was the guilty party, and she spoke to a well-educated priest, he would know that a guilty party cannot be absolved unless she has the firm resolve to stop the sin of causing the break-up her marriage. If she was an abandoner, she should stop abandoning.

If she was not the guilty party, the priest should know that he is not competent to condone her permanent separation.  Her husband, their children, and the public have rights that are at stake, so the priest would recommend that she petition the bishop or tribunal for a determination in their case of separation of spouses. Thereafter, correct pastoral instruction could be given to both spouses. This would protect children from the scandal given by no-fault divorce and marital abandonment.

Mary’s Advocates shows abandoned spouses how to petition the Church for a determination in cases of separation.