Why must a divorced Catholic complete a complicated Church annulment process before remarrying?
Jesus himself had strong words about marriage. The Catholic Church believes it has a responsibility to follow the words of Christ, both in teaching and in practice. Jesus gave a quite blunt answer to those who raised the issue of marriage and divorce. In the Gospel of Mark (10:11-12) he declared: Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another commits adultery. In the Gospel of Luke (16:18), written after the Gospel of Mark, Jesus declaration is almost identical: Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. The man who marries a woman divorced from her husband likewise commits adultery. During the exchange recorded by Mark, Christ referred to words from the Old Testament Book of Genesis: At the beginning of creation God made them male and female: for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become as one. They are no longer two but one flesh. There
