Catholic Alternatives for Separation

The Catholic Church offers resources for couples who are struggling.

Nearly every married couple struggles at one time or another, and for Catholics, this can mean a moral dilemma as well as a personal dilemma. The Catholic Church is generally opposed to separation and divorce, so if you're having marriage problems, you may feel you have no choice but to stay in a loveless marriage. The Catholic Church offers resources for couples who are struggling and encourages couples to work through their problems and repair their marriages.

Marriage Counseling

Seeking the advice of a Catholic counselor is a way to repair a struggling marriage. Many parishes and dioceses have Catholic counseling resources, or you can make an appointment with your parish priest. Many couples benefit from having a neutral person to help them talk through their problems and frustrations. Using a Catholic counselor or priest will ensure that your counseling follows the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Married Couples' Retreat

Many parishes and dioceses offer retreats designed for married couples who are having problems. Getting away for a retreat will help you focus on each other, work through problems and refocus your marriage on your faith. Taking yourselves physically out of the environment in which the problems arose can help give you a new perspective on your marriage problems.

Annulment

Annulment is a possibility for Catholics to separate with the intention of divorce. It's an involved process that can take more than a year to complete and has strict requirements for completion. In the annulment process, a Church tribunal decides whether an essential element for the sacrament of marriage was missing on the wedding day. If an annulment is granted, the marriage is not dissolved. Instead, it's as if it never happened. After that, both are free to remarry in the Church.

Allowable Separation

The Catholic Church teaches that separation is allowed in certain circumstances. If one spouse commits adultery or becomes unfaithful, the husband and wife can separate. If one spouse is called to religious life, they can separate, and the other spouse is free to remarry. Abuse is another reason the Church allows separation. If a couple separates for one of these reasons, they usually also seek annulment from a tribunal. It's recommended that you speak to your priest if you think you have grounds for separation from your spouse.

References

• Annulment/Decree of Nullity
• Retrouvaille
• New Advent: Vows