Can deacons be divorced?

[suefran]

Can an ordained deacon get a divorce and still remain a practicing deacon?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the US states:

Divorce between a deacon and his wife can happen. In this situation, suitable pastoral care should be offered to the deacon, his wife, and their children. This pastoral care, which may be facilitated by the director of deacon personnel or any other qualified person on behalf of the bishop, should include ample time to work through the various stages of grieving and adjustment caused by the divorce. The determination of the divorced deacon’s ministerial status will require sensitivity and prudence on the part of the bishop, the pastor or pastoral supervisor, the ministerial community, and other institutions in which the deacon serves. Members of the diaconal community are also in a unique position to reach out, as appropriate, in order to help the divorced couple and family deal with the challenges the divorce may entail. (#76)

The decision of whether or not to permit a divorced deacon to maintain his faculties all depends on the particular circumstances and the prudential judgment of the Bishop. It is possible that the Bishop will permit a divorced deacon to remain in ministry or he may decide that the individual situation is scandalous and remove his faculties. It all depends on the situation.

For example, here is what the Diocese of Cleveland has to say about the matter:

If after prudent evaluation the deacon is found not to be the cause of the divorce, the deacon may return to ministry if the Bishop deems his ministry will be fruitful and beneficial to the Church.

If after prudent evaluation it is found that the deacon is the cause of or contributory in a significant way to the divorce, the Bishop will remove all faculties and encourage the deacon to return to the lay state.