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Marriage & Family: May 2005 Archives
The above quotation is from St. Thomas, who in the Summa answers the question "Whether a betrothal is a promise of future marriage?". That's a most interesting phrase.
More to the point: in "Whether a betrothal can be dissolved?", Thomas discusses many of the questions people brought up in the previous post about the Georgia man who intends to marry his troubled bride-to-be, despite ample evidence that she might be nuts. Fornication, fidelity to a promise, etc., were all discussed by Thomas eight centuries ago. Why would anyone need another theologian?
Now, I'm not an expert in church law as Pete is, but I get the feeling that this story shows a couple with obvious grounds for annulment even before the wedding. If you haven't heard about it (lucky you), some gal in Georgia panicked on her wedding day, skipped the ceremony, and fled across country, setting off a multi-state manhunt. When she turned up safe and sound in New Mexico, she pretended to have been kidnapped, but eventually came clean.
Speaking of coming clean, what's the bride's latest outfit: a beach towel? Her ensemble included a daring multi-colored burqa -- I mean, veil: just what a young lady needs to duck through the airport unnoticed.
Earth to groom: start practicing sentences that contain the word "re-evaluation".
