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Thanks for the answer.

So it seems that if your spouse commits adultery against you, that the only choice you have if you want to be happily married for the rest of your life, is to have them killed. (which of course would end the marriage) :)

(I realize that reconciliation is the ideal, but I also know that in the bible God gives us permission to divorce in cases of adultery (one spuse already ended the marriage). Sometimes the trust required for marriage cannot be rebuilt.)

I also know that in the bible God gives us permission to divorce in cases of adultery (one spuse already ended the marriage).

That is not what the scripture says. Adultery is not mentioned as the only permissible cause for divorce.

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

So it seems that if your spouse commits adultery against you, that the only choice you have if you want to be happily married for the rest of your life, is to have them killed. (

Totally wrong! A marriage tribunal considers many factors in determining the validity of a marriage. Among these are the conditions under which the couple originally married; did they understand what constitutes a valid marriage; were they both open to having children; did they attend Pre Cana classes; etc.

Too often, couples enter marriage for unusual reasons. An example of this might be in order for a foreigner to obtain a green card. Some couples do it for the party with little or no reflection on the seriousness of the vows exchanged, as crazy as that may seem. There are a multitude of reasons why, what to all the world appears to be a marriage, really is not. A tribunal poses the questions and examines the evidence to make that determination. It is amazing just how many catholics who enter into "marriage" are totally ignorant of the commitment it entails. They think they are in love and, in their minds, that is justification enough. Pre Cana classes are intended to clarify any misunderstandings, here again, some couples fail to attend those classes. It is much more than adultery!

if your spouse commits adultery against you, that the only choice you have if you want to be happily married for the rest of your life, is to have them killed.

If your marriage was initiated properly (and both NYer and I listed many instances when it is not, even though it may be legal from the perspective of the state law) then, even though an adultery is committed, the marriage cannot be annuled and will end with the death of one spouse, correct.

in the bible God gives us permission to divorce in cases of adultery

So does the Church. As I indicated in my previous post, the Church recognizes that some marriages cannot be repaired and allows both physical separation and legal divorce. What it does not allow is re-marriage when a marriage, albeit in a broken state, still exists.