Catholic Marriage Petition
To the Bishops of the United States
Defend the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony Against No-Fault Divorce

Dear Bishops,

We come to you as Catholics from all walks of life. We are very grateful for your recent efforts in defending marriage as "a union between one man and one woman." But, we humbly plead with you, as our Shepherds, to defend marriage from No-Fault "Forced" Divorce, which has taken an enormous toll on marriage.

Three thousand divorces are granted every day in this country, and of these, up to eighty percent are forced upon one of the spouses. Most people believe that No-Fault Divorce means "by mutual consent" - but in the greater majority of cases it means one spouse forces a divorce against the will of the other spouse.

Most wedding vows are exchanged within a religious ceremony, in which the bride and groom promise to be married according to the rules of their church. But, when problems arise and one spouse files for divorce, civil authorities take control over their lives, the lives of their children, and all of their financial assets.

The Church never relinquished authority over Her marriages. Instead, civil authorities seized control when state governments enacted No-Fault Divorce laws.

In his encyclical entitled, Arcanum, Pope Leo XIII asserts, "Neither . . . can it be shown . . . that power over the marriages of Christians has ever lawfully been handed over to the rulers of the State." Further, ". . . in Christian marriage the contract is inseparable from the sacrament."

More recently, Pope John Paul II reminded us that, "Marriage is indissoluble." He also urged, "Among initiatives should be those that aim at obtaining the public recognition of indissoluble marriage in the civil juridical order."

We send you this URGENT APPEAL to begin an initiative, as Our Holy Father urged us to do. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony is being openly desecrated on a daily basis by civil authorities. Please reclaim authority over Catholic marriage and stop this desecration.

We remain yours in Christ.

Sign petition online at www.CatholicMarriagePetition.org