Annulling a Reverend Moon Marriage

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from Our Sunday Visitor, August 26, 2001 with a headline: “A prodigal son returns.”Archbishop Emmanuel Malingo, the zambiant prelaid who married in a ceremony performed by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon three months ago has decided to reconcile with the Catholic Church, the Vatican said August 11^th.“After the lamentable events of which he was a protagonist, he has decided to spend a period of reflection and prayer in view of his full reconciliation,” said Passionate Father Cereo Datini, a Vatican spokesman.He said the Archbishop who at press time had remained in seclusion in the Vatican, made the decision following his surprise meeting with Pope John Paul II, August 7^th, in which the pontiff paternally called him back to his responsibilities toward God and toward the church.At the time, the Vatican said the meeting effectively suspended the doctrinal congregation’s July ex-communication warning to the Archbishop.He had been given until August 20^th to leave his wife, sever all ties with Reverend Moon’s sect, and publicly declare his loyalty to the Pope, and acceptance of priestly celibacy.Previously, the Archbishop had said he would not comply with these conditions.Quickly officials of Reverend Moon’s movement launched what they described on their website as a life and death war with a formidable powerful enemy, saying the Archbishop was being held captive by the Vatican.The Archbishop’s wife, Maria Sun, said that she had begun a fast and would continue until death, unless Archbishop Malingo, 71, resumed married life with her.She also indicated she might be pregnant with the Archbishop’s child and she made media swamped visits to St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for his return.Sun has refused visits from Vatican representatives bearing letters from the Archbishop.I will meet only with my husband, she said, but it remains unclear whether the Malingo-Sun marriage which began with a 60 couple wedding May 27^th in New York, was ever officially registered with state officials.

Tom:

Dave, lest anybody think we are picking on Catholics here, many, many big named evangelicals have been drawn into the traps set by Sun Myung Moon and his cult, the Catholic Church refers to it as a sect, which means cult.On the other hand, this is the prince of the church.This is the man who commits the unpardonable sin of marriage, which we can explain that in a bit, but this is bizarre.

Dave:

Well it has many bizarre elements to it.He’s renewed his vows of celibacy, but apparently he broke his vows of celibacy.They threatened him with excommunication, but now he’s being reconciled.How do you go about this?It reminds one of annulment, you know?

Tom:

Well it looks like they are setting this up for—saying it may not have been an official wedding.

Dave:

Right, any way it looks like they are setting up for an annulment.But look Tom, we’ve mentioned it in the past, we have marriages—I have a letter in my file from one lady, and we have other letters, 30 years of marriage, five children, her husband divorces her and then gets an annulment from the church so that he can marry again and be in good standing again.We know that many Catholics now are filing documents with their lawyers when they get married saying that they had some questions about whether this was really going to work out.Then that becomes the basis for future annulment if need be.Wait a minute, marriage is marriage.He took vows apparently.Whether it was registered with the state or not.This is just as you say—bizarre!Really bizarre.Now he’s back in the Vatican, in seclusion, the poor guy is being—it’s like he’s on a yo-yo, he’s being pulled back and forth.Now the whole reason for it Tom, is because of an unbiblical rule of celibacy.We could go down through history and point out what that has done.Look, they didn’t even used to practice it.I can name Popes who are the sons of celibate popes and they didn’t hide this.They had their concubines, they had their mistresses.It’s well known through out history, all down through history, but it is a rule that is not biblical, and it causes problems, because it’s not natural.Now if a person by conviction of his conscience is called to this to better serve God, that’s one thing, but to have a rule that you can’t become a priest unless you take the vow of celibacy, then you are imposing upon a person something that isn’t natural.It is not biblical, and yet he must live up to it.Well, very, very few Catholic priests live up to it.Well very, very few Catholic priests live up to it.We know that, the Catholic Church admits it itself.In fact there is pressure from many priests.Why don’t you do away with this rule of celibacy, but the church insists upon it.It’s a fiction.

Tom:

Dave, in addition to that, again, moving beyond the Catholic issue, this prince of the church, he ought to know who Sun Myung Moon is.Talk about another Christ, the false messiah, but then with regard to evangelicals.

Dave:

Well, real fast, Sun Myung Moon claims to be the true Christ and Jesus failed in his mission and Sun Myung Moon is going to fulfill it.

Tom:

Right.And evangelical leaders are buying into program after program that he, Sun Myung Moon sets up.So deception, delusion, it’s out there en mass.

Dave:

So what are we going to do about it Tom?We are going to search the scriptures daily, get back to the Word of God, and earnestly contend for THE faith, once and for all delivered to the saints.