Read the Catechism in a Year
The Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery.
What is adultery? Is divorce the appropriate response?
Adultery is committed when two people, at least one of whom is married to someone else, have sexual relations. Adultery is the fundamental betrayal of love, the violation of a covenant that was made in God's sight, and an injustice to one's neighbor. Jesus himself explicitly declared the indissolubility of marriage: "What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mk 10:9). Citing the original will of the Creator, Jesus abolished the toleration of divorce in the Old Covenant.
The encouraging promise of this message of Jesus is, "as children of your heavenly Father you are capable of lifelong love." Nevertheless, it is not easy to remain faithful to one's spouse for a lifetime. We must not condemn people whose marriages fail. Nevertheless, Christians who irresponsibly bring about divorce incur guilt. They sin against God's love, which is visible in marriage. They sin against the abandoned spouse and against abandoned children. Of course the faithful partner in a marriage that has become unbearable can move out of shared living accommodations. In some serious circumstances, it may be necessary to go through a civil divorce. In well-founded cases the Church can examine the validity of the marriage in an annulment proceeding. (YOUCAT question 424)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (2380-2389) and other references here.
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