Catholics continue to have lowest divorce rates, report finds

Last updated on: October 1, 2013 at 11:14 pm by CNA Daily News

Catholics continue to have lowest divorce rates, report finds 2013-10-01T23:14:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Oct 1, 2013 / 05:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Recent studies on marriage show that while their rates of divorce are significant, U.S. Catholics are less likely to divorce than people of other religious affiliations.

“Although the Catholic ‘divorce rate’ is lower than the U.S. average it is still a daunting figure,” said the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

In a Sept. 26 blog post, the research group explained that divorce among Catholics “represents more than 11 million individuals,” many of whom “are likely in need of more outreach and ongoing ministry from the Church.”

In its article, the organization explained that different ways of tallying divorce and marriage rates create a range of different divorce figures, including the oft-quoted statistic that “half of all marriages fail.”

Looking at national surveys, “Catholics stand out with only 28 percent of the ever-married having divorced at some point,” the blog post stated, compared to more than 40 percent of those with no religious affiliation, 39 percent of Protestants and 35 percent of those of another religious faith.

Furthermore, Catholics who marry other Catholics are also less likely to divorce than Catholics married to people of other faiths.

A 2007 survey from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate estimates that only 27 percent of Catholics married to other Catholics have ever experienced divorce, compared to nearly half of Catholics married to Protestants or to spouses with no religious belief.

The organization also pointed to data showing that the number of annulments requested has continued to decline in the past two decades. In 1990, there was one annulment introduced for every 4.5 marriages, while in 2011, there was one annulment for every 6.5 marriages.

However, the decline in annulments has been accompanied by an even sharper decline in marriages celebrated in the Catholic Church. In 2011, the report found, less than eight percent of weddings took place in the Church.

Additionally, the report noted that 49 percent of Church annulment cases introduced globally in 2011 took place in the United States.

Monsignor Rick Hilgartner, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, explained to CNA that many annulment cases in the United States come about as part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, “in order to validate marriages for those being baptized or received into full communion” in the Church.

He explained that compared to other countries where a majority of the population is already Catholic, conversions to Catholicism in the U.S. are more frequent, and therefore annulments in these cases are also more common.

Msgr. Hilgartner added that for those Catholics who are divorced and remarried outside of the Church, “many dioceses provide outreach and catechesis regarding annulments as a way to invite people to pursue the process so that they can be welcomed back to the Sacraments.”

Previous Post

October 1, 2013

Pope to atheist: all people can receive grace, seek the Good

Next Post

October 2, 2013 Taxpayer-funded abortions part of health care law, report says

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, making them blossom like this flower and fragrant like this tree. What plant and tree are mentioned?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lebanon Cedar and Lilies Lotus and palm Iris and cypress Rose and olive