tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1926891106758008587.post7299471501586590088..comments2024-01-01T21:57:26.021-05:00Comments on Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Prominent atheist says Catholicism is least tolerated religion in Europe :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)Fr. Tim Moylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18030197987469327645noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1926891106758008587.post-68334197886166834042010-10-14T06:53:23.628-04:002010-10-14T06:53:23.628-04:00Rome has intruded into the marriage business in va...Rome has intruded into the marriage business in various countries over the years creating a litany of unfairness. Currently Chile is one of about three countries in the world which still does not have a law allowing divorce. As a result there are many broken families where people have different partners and as a result have children which are illegitimate. This has implications also regarding child support and custody. <br /><br />About 5000 people in Chile a year are able to get an annulment which the government recognizes. But in order to get it, witnesses must follow a torutuous process and testify falsely that there was something defective in the original marriage. This has been described as a comedy show. And about 370 pounds must be paid or five times the minimum monthly salary. <br /><br />Presently the government is considering bringing in a change to the law to legalize divorce. Opposing this is the considerably influential hierarchy of the Catholic Church plus a society which claims to defend family values. Although certain elements of the government are determined to bring in divorce laws which would protect particularly women's and children's rights, it remains to be seen which way Chile's laws go and whether divorce will be legalized, which would help to bring some order out of the current chaos.Small Town Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13916492142790961736noreply@blogger.com