"The
Church presumes every marriage
(Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, non-believers),
to be a valid marriage until the opposite is
proven".
John R. McGann, Bishop of Rockville
Centre; Official position Paper
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The Internal
Forum
The Internal
Forum, or so-called "Good
Conscience" solution, is a second method
of returning to the good graces of the Church.
The important distinction is between the External
Forum,
made up of the Tribunal (Court) system, and
the Internal
Forum,
which refers to the
individual's relationship with God.
The Tribunals
are, of necessity, concerned with circumstances
that can be objectively proven. Because of the
general presumption of the validity of marriages,
Tribunal judges cannot speculate outside the
record in an annulment proceeding.
But even the church is aware that a Tribunal
decision and the truth may not always coincide.
This could happen in any number of situations. For
example, perhaps your spouse confessed privately
to you an intention to never have children or
remain faithful, but refuses to admit this to the
Tribunal. Or perhaps witnesses who could have
proved your case have died, cannot be located, or
refuse to testify. Perhaps documents or other
evidence necessary for your case are for some
reason unobtainable.
You then have
no way of proving what you know to be a fact, that
your marriage was invalid. The Tribunal, as a
court of law, must be presented with sufficient
evidence to prove annulment grounds. If the
evidence is not presented, a favorable ruling is
not possible. The
External Forum cannot help you in your rightful
attempt to be free of this invalid marriage.
Then again, your petition may be within the
jurisdiction of a Tribunal that is practically non
functioning or simply does not grant annulments as
readily as others. Suppose, for example, your
particular Tribunal has an 18 month backlog of
cases, therefore you are not to consider any
wedding or bridal plans for the next year and a
half. This
is where the Internal Forum becomes useful. This
is an official process which The Old Catholic
Church of Utrecht, Holland has granted us the
authority to utilize this method to effect
Official True Catholic Reconciliation.
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A New
Life. A Second Chance!
"Our initial request for the
Sacrament had been refused by the parish Priest
and his decision upheld by our Diocese due to a
very minor impediment. We would like to thank you
for the wonderful ceremony. Father Trees
officiated at our Wedding on October 24, 1993. The
ceremony was done in excellent taste and in a
spiritual and loving manner. Please extend our
sincere thanks to the hierarchy of the Ordre for
handling our special situation with love and
dignity. Our guests had nothing but praise for the
manner in which the priest handled the ceremony
and related to our guests."
Carolyn and Pat Long Island,
New York
An
important element of
the Internal Forum is the
quiet consultation with a Bishop,
often beginning in the privacy of the
confessional, regardless, all
information related
to the Cleric is
confidential and related under the
Sacramental Seal.
The Bishop,
acting as the judge in what is now a
Tribunal of Mercy For Catholic
Reconciliation, will
do what he deems necessary to help you
return to full communion.
-- Dispensations
(waiving of a Doctrinal requirement) may
be extended by the Ordre when certain
impediments are in place that create
difficulty for the applicants to meet the
requirements of the Faith.
- To find out more information about Dispensations, please
(click here)!
The Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) has always accepted
the possibility of this solution, though for its own reasons, obviously wishes you to use
the External Forum.
YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE CHURCH
VS.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH
GOD.
Perhaps
the most graphic Biblical use of the
Internal Forum is
the story of the woman, charged with
adultery, and brought to Jesus by the
Pharisees for judgment. They remind him that
under
the law,
of Moses, that it is stated that an
adulteress must be stoned. They wanted him
to make the religious legal pronouncement
giving them the permission necessary to
carry out the sentence of death. But Jesus
stooped down and wrote with his finger in
the dust. His attention appears to be
totally focused upon this solitary activity.
But when they continued asking him for his
decision, he said unto them, "He among
you that is without sin, let him cast the
first stone." He continues writing in
the dust ignoring them.
This is
one of the most remarkably naturalistic
details in the entire Gospels, this silent,
brooding man, staring at the dust, writing
in it with his finger. The Pharisees are
shamed into walking away, one by one,
leaving Jesus alone with the woman. He asks
the woman, "Does no man condemn
thee"? And she replies, "No
Man". And Jesus replies to her,
"Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way,
and sin no more." (John 7:53 to John
8:11). The manner in which this narrative is
related is fraught with both mystical and
practical meaning. Jesus deals in a unique
and personal way with what should have been
the simplest of everyday problems covered by
the Jewish Law.
Jesus as
always, considers, not the law, but the
individuals relationship with God. While
using the law as a guideline, he always
tempers his decisions with Christian charity
and mercy for the individual.
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