5. Catholics can now exit marriage easily.

(LA Times) Many Catholics across the United States have welcomed Pope Francis’ annulment reforms, the most far-reaching in almost three centuries. Making it faster, simpler and cheaper to obtain an annulment, many hope, will foster greater acceptance and encourage lapsed or wavering Catholics to rejoin the faith.

If Americans understand anything going on in Washington, D.C., it is usually legislation related to removing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles from our ability to make money, start a business, pay taxes, etc. You get the hint.

However, the introduction of Motu Proprio, a document reforming the Catholic annulment process, yet again made traditionalist Catholics light their hair on fire as it cut through much of the pork of old ways.

These changes are actually very solid and much to the surprise of the national media, have absolutely nothing to do with the “truth” of an invalid marriage.

Here are the major changes in Motu Propio from Aleteia:

Lay canonists are now allowed to take a greater role in the process. Prior to these changes, cases were judged by three judges which needed to consist of at least two ordained clerics. Now, two of the three may be laypeople. Trials can be held in locations other than where the wedding took place. Prior to the changes, you would have to appeal in the diocese where you were married. Now, the trial may be held in the diocese where either party is resident or in the diocese where it would be easiest to collect evidence for. No more automatic appeal. Before Motu proprio, if a tribunal was to decide in favor of granting an annulment, it was required that the regional appeals court confirm the original decision. Now, one or both of the parties may still request an appeal to the archbishop if they disagree with the original decision, but an appeal is no longer mandatory. The process can be expedited. In certain cases where both parties agree to seek an annulment and the circumstances of their case make the likelihood of the invalidity of their marriage especially obvious, the parties can now have the bishop judge their case directly, instead of going through the tribunal process. They will still need to present enough solid evidence for the bishop to make a confident determination of the status of their marriage, but in many cases this will be a quicker and simpler process.

Is getting an annulment easier in the Catholic Church? If by easier you mean calculating the revenue of your Fortune 500 company in excel as opposed to on notebook paper, then yes.

The key word here is accessible. The burden of proof for annulments have not changed. Only the process. Reform which, if you have ever tried to become a member in a Catholic parish, you know we really need.