ROME -- Pope Francis has made it easier for Catholics to obtain marriage annulments, provided that they are “backed by particularly evident arguments”. 

  On Tuesday, in a ruling known as a Motu Proprio, entitled ‘Mitis index Dominus lesus’, he has made the process of marriage annulments quicker, easier and cheaper, provided that they are backed by arguments such as a lack of faith, shortness of cohabitation, abortion to prevent procreation and persistence of extra-marital affairs. The local bishop will now be the judge of the annulments, in an attempt to decentralise the authority of the Vatican.

  The annulments will now only cost “the fair compensation of the court workers”. 

  According to the Italian newspaper ‘Il Messagero’, this new ruling “is not promoting the nullity of marriage, but instead aims to speed up the process, so that those trying to obtain annulments are not oppressed by the darkness of doubt.” Pope Francis himself said that this reform is designed to aid the “salvation of souls”.

  However, the reception of the ruling has not been unanimously positive. Alessandro Tomaselli, a 42 year old lecturer of the law of the European Union, speaking to Francesco Merlo from the newspaper ‘La Repubblica’ “fears that the new reform will encourage divorce”. He believes that it “diminishes the protection of the Sacrament”. 

  Nonetheless, this reform will be well received in the US, where the Pope is due to visit this coming month, and where half of the worldwide annulments take place.