Divorce and Celibacy

[RinoaHeartilly]

I just have a question. If a woman were to divorce due to the husband being neglectful/emotionally abusive and she remained celibate afterwards, would the divorce still be counted as a sin?

 

[Della]

I just have a question. If a woman were to divorce due to the husband being neglectful/emotionally abusive and she remained celibate afterwards, would the divorce still be counted as a sin?

Divorce must be for grave reasons. A person’s idea of what constitutes being neglectful/emotionally abusive might not be serious enough to warrant divorce. Usually, couples are counseled to try to work out their problems before taking such a final step.

Being celibate only means not marrying. What you mean is if she remained chaste within her state in life. Of course, a divorced person must be chaste as a celibate. Even married people are to be chaste within their state in life–to engage in sex for the right reasons.

The best thing to do is to talk to one’s pastor before deciding to divorce. All reasonable means to keep the marriage intact should be explored before giving up on a marriage.

 

[RinoaHeartilly]

Divorce must be for grave reasons. A person’s idea of what constitutes being neglectful/emotionally abusive might not be serious enough to warrant divorce. Usually, couples are counseled to try to work out their problems before taking such a final step.

Being celibate only means not marrying. What you mean is if she remained chaste within her state in life. Of course, a divorced person must be chaste as a celibate. Even married people are to be chaste within their state in life–to engage in sex for the right reasons.

The best thing to do is to talk to one’s pastor before deciding to divorce. All reasonable means to keep the marriage intact should be explored before giving up on a marriage.

Thank you for this response. I won’t go into details but if she’s already tried a reasonable amount and he still was never around and was emotionally abusive then what?

 

[Billy_Buescher]

I just have a question. If a woman were to divorce due to the husband being neglectful/emotionally abusive and she remained celibate afterwards, would the divorce still be counted as a sin?

I did not think that divorce was a sin, as long as you remain single and chaste, until the death of your past spouse or an annulment.

 

[RinoaHeartilly]

I did not think that divorce was a sin, as long as you remain single and chaste, until the death of your past spouse or an annulment.

I found similar responses on other Christian websites, but they also mention that confession needs to be done.
Thanks for the response.

 

[Catholic1954]

The Church does recognize divorce, but it must be the last resort, with no hope saving the marriage. The sin is remarrying outside of the Church and not having an annulment.

 

[RinoaHeartilly]

The Church does recognize divorce, but it must be the last resort, with no hope saving the marriage. The sin is remarrying outside of the Church and not having an annulment.

She doesn’t plan on remarrying, I was just curious if the divorce itself was a sin, even if the marriage was unhappy and kind of hopeless.

 

[1ke]

This is a question best discussed with one’s confessor. No one here can tell you if it is sin or not a sin. Divorce is objectively grave matter. It can be tolerated in some circumstances. That is not our call, it should be discussed with your pastor.