Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

Divorce

Question:

What is the chuch's stand on divorce? Can divorced people re-marry?

Answer:

Very Reverend Ihor Kutash kutash@unicorne.org

The Orthodox Church views divorce as does our Lord: as an evil. Sometimes it is the lesser of two evils, but the lesser of two evils does not equal to a good.

Without condoning divorce, the Orthodox Church nonetheless in her pastoral care for her people permits remarriage with the blessing of a bishop.

There is no use pretending that something which ought to exist - i.e. a marriage, does exist just because it ought to. Because of our weakness and fragility we break our vows and fail in our commitment to love each other completely and fully and so build - with God's help - a blessed community of marriage.

However we can and ought to learn from our mistakes and may choose to strive once more to fulfil the ideal of Matrimony to which we have been called.

This ought not to be done without the benefit of the Mysteries, the teachings, the worship, the fellowship of the Church. So a blessing is given for a second marriage. In rare instances even a third.

Such celebrations of the Mystery are to be done with humility and recognition of the fact that the blessing is given by God's mercy, and not because the divorced parties have a right to such a blessing.

Thankfully there are many "re-marriages" that work. God is good and continually brings good out of that which is not good to begin with.

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