Leila Miller/Catholic Answers get close, but don't deliver needed bullseye re divorce.

Recently, Leila Miller wrote an article for Catholic Answers: 

Eight Things You Have To Know About The Church's Teaching On Divorce

 In it, she makes many good points while trying to clear up divorce and defend marriage, but unfortunately fails because she does not recognize the elephant in the living room: Catholic unilateral No Fault divorce has illicitly replaced canonical separations in the external forum.

She says: "6. Divorce and separation are two different things

Divorce is an attempt to break the marriage bond.." 

Actually, divorce "claims to break the marriage contract..to live with each other till death." (ccc 2384) Bond and contract are connected but distinct.

The fact is, divorce and separation are one in the same for Catholics. Both have identical effects; the spouses are separated with the bond remaining. The state is real good at violating divine law and allowing the shedding innocent blood. Civil divorce is no exception when the state gets it's hands on the marriage contract, tied to natural law. The sheep are fed to the wolves.

Leila says "As Catholics, we are called to a higher standard than the secular culture.."

But your bishop is leading us with secular culture when it comes to divorce! He has effectively replaced certain canons / disciplines with No Fault divorce. This has been done mostly to invite more annulments vs. any defense of the marriage contract. 

Leila says "when the Church grants an annulment it is not "divorce, Catholic-style." 

In theory, it is not, but with "no questions asked" divorces and all but guaranteed American annulments (CSLA stats), in practice, it is Catholic divorce. If it walks like a duck..

"The one who unjustly divorces his or her spouse is guilty of a grave sin." Exactly. Per canon law, all divorces are supposed to have the innocent spouse and the guilty spouse identified. The one who refuse to cooperate/repent should be denied Communion per canon 915. "the marriage of Catholics is governed .. by canon law." Canon 1059

I invite Leila Miller / Catholic Answers to promote existing Church discipline - that the state has no business adjudicating Catholic marriage contracts and that Catholics have no authority to bring these contracts to civil court, or to permanently separate, without the local bishop's permission first. Because no spouse may judge their own case, to permanently separate/divorce on own authority is "a grave offense against the natural law." 

The Church's teaching on divorce runs counter the practice of 100% of American bishops.  Kinda hard to promote proper Catholic "external forum" and current "don't ask, don't tell" at the same time. Maybe that is why Leila Miller correctly observes "we don’t hear enough about Church teaching on divorce." To do so would beg questions and lead to exposing the living room elephant, which local authority prefers to keep hidden.

-John Farrell