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"Every law made by men has reason to be law in that it is derived from natural law. If, on the other hand, something is opposed to natural law, then it is not law but corruption of the law."
- St. Thomas Aquinas
Marriage and family life are under a profound attack by secular society. When no-fault divorce laws were passed over 30 years ago, the original intent was to offer help to couples so they could work through their problems - to give them a greater chance at reconciling. The goal was to implement something like a "Marriage Hospital". But, the idea of the "Hospital" was dropped and, instead, no-fault divorce turned into this country's worst nightmare for families.
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Catholic Marriage Petition
To the Bishops of the United States
Defend the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Against No-Fault Divorce
Please sign this Petition here:
www.CatholicMarriagePetition.org
Thank you!
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Defending Holy MatrimonySM
"What therefore God hath joined together,let not man put asunder."
- Jesus Christ (Matt . 19:6)
An Educational Initiative to Reclaim Christian Marriage
Defending Holy MatrimonySM ("DHM") is an Educational Initiative aimed at preparing Christian leaders to transfer marital disputes out of divorce courts and into Church reconciliation services.
DHM's mission is to reclaim Christian Marriage-Holy Matrimony.
DHM's immediate goal is to educate Church leadership about how this country's unchecked system of no-fault divorce destroys families.
DHM's ultimate goal is to transfer marital disputes out of hostile divorce courts and into compassionate reconciliation services- administered by churches when attending to Christian marriages, and community groups when attending to non-Christian marriages.
DHM does not seek to impose Christian Marriage on non-Christians but is dedicated to ending the Counterfeit Marriage Scheme that was imposed through no-fault divorce laws and turned all marriage into nothing more than "registered cohabitation."
Holy Matrimony confers on each couple a status like that of a "domestic church" built on a foundation of love over which the State has no authority beyond that of merely a registrar.
DHM's initiative picks up where the divorce reform activists left off in the 1960's activists who sought to turn adversarial divorce courts into compassionate "Marriage Hospitals" providing reconciliation services. But when sinister forces took over, these good intentions were lost. Instead, the courts were turned into a divorce "conveyor belt" that has been operating for over 30 years.
Why Marriage Hospitals?
1. The Problem: Marriage disputes are currently adjudicated in the treachery of the court system, where money flows towards the destruction of families instead of towards reconciliation and healing. The State, which originally promoted no-fault divorce, still silently condones the havoc it wreaks (explained in Stephen Baskerville's article in Crisis Magazine, Nov., 2002, "The Politics of Family Destruction", and Judy Parejko's book, Stolen Vows).
2. The Solution: Oversight of Christian Marriage must be transferred out of the hostile court system and into Church reconciliation services.
"Neither, therefore, by reasoning can it be shown, nor by any testimony of history be proved, that power over the marriages of Christians has ever lawfully been handed over to the rulers of the State."
- Arcanum (On Christian Marriage), 1880
3. The Duties:
* The Spouses must be educated about their marital and parental duties because Christian Marriage is a "vocation" -more than just a romantic relationship- and requires pre-marital training as well as "on-the-job" training.
"Marital difficulties can take various forms, but in the end they all amount to a problem of love ... it is always necessary to love the other spouse even when so many apparently justifying reasons, would lead one to leave . . ."
- John Paul II, 1/30/03
* The State must remind spouses of their marital duties when they summon state intervention without Church approval. The State (lawyers and judges) must redirect spouses into marital education and reconciliation services-and not pursue an adversarial process.
"... professionals in the field of civil law should avoid being personally involved in anything that might imply a cooperation with divorce."
- John Paul II, 1/28/02
* The Church must intervene when Christian Marriage is under attack-even use its power to discipline errant State Officers who harm Christian Marriage.
"... the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted, based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman, and protected in its unity and stability in the face of modern laws on divorce ..."
- Doctrinal Note, 1/16/03
4. The Transition: Establishing Marriage Hospitals within the Church will require various initiatives. The key is to re-channel resources to peacemakers-and even impose penalties on troublemakers-essentially reversing the incentives that perpetuate today-s destructive marital dispute system.
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WHAT DOES THE POPE HAVE TO SAY?
"It could perhaps seem that divorce is so firmly rooted in certain social sectors, that it is almost not worth continuing to combat it by spreading a mentality, a social custom and civil legislation in favour of the indissolubility of marriage. Yet it is indeed worth the effort! Actually, this good is at the root of all society, as a necessary condition for the existence of the family. Its absence, therefore, has devastating consequences that spread through the social body like a plague.
Among initiatives should be those that aim at obtaining the public
recognition of indissoluble marriage in the civil juridical order.
Resolute opposition to any legal or administrative measures that introduce divorce . . . must be accompanied by a pro-active attitude, acting through juridical provisions that tend to improve the social recognition of true marriage in the framework of legal orders that unfortunately admit divorce."
- John Paul II, 1/28/2002
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Defending Holy Matrimony is an initiative to reclaim the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
The Catholic Church is consistent in its teachings on the Indissolubility of Marriage. The pages of this website include research into numerous Catholic documents on theContents page.
Defending Holy MatrimonySM
info@DefendingHolyMatrimony.org | 
