20 world religions and faith practices 51

Robyn Lebron

to contravene. However, Catholics are not excommunicated from
the church if they get a divorce. The Catholic Church realizes
that situations arise when a married man and woman can no
longer live together, such as in the case of an abusive spouse or
harm to the children of this union. The Church suggests in such
cases that the two live apart, they are however still married in the
eyes of the Church. It is possible for such a couple to have a
divorce in the eyes of civil authorities but not in the eyes of
God. Only through death is the sacramental marriage dissolved. If
both spouses remain separated and do not marry they may receive
all the sacraments of the church. If one spouse does remarry then he
or she in turn is committing adultery and is not permitted to
participate in the sacraments of the church. The Church, after an
examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical
tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the
marriage never existed. In this case the contracting parties are free to
marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union
are discharged.13

Death and Afterlife
Roman Catholics believe —”‰ƒ–‘”› is a place in which people have to
go to purge out their own sins, which the blood of Jesus Christ does
not atone for. In other words, Christ can grant you eternal life, but
you still mus– “pay for your sins.” There are certain sins that people
have to take care of themselves in order to be saved. All who die
in God’s grace and friendship but still imperfect are assured of
salvation, but after death, they undergo purification so as to
achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven
(ƒ–‡…Š‹•paragraph 1030).

The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification
of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the
damned (Catechism paragraph 1031). Heaven is the state of
everlasting life in which we see God face-to-face, are made like unto
Him in glory, and enjoy eternal happiness. Those who have
been purified will be rejoined with their bodies and join Christ
and the angels in a celestial paradise. “Hell is a state to which the
wicked are condemned, and in which they are deprived of the sight
of God for all eternity, and are in dreadful torments.”14
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