"There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is, of course, quite a different thing." -Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Placating terrorists, meeting with dictators, compassion for murderers... but no humanity for the unborn... incredible.
OOT
No wonder Mel Gibson is giving the thumbs-up. Full time has been called on his 28-year marriage to Robyn Moore.
The Pope didn't give the order, though. That edict came from Mel's 90-year-old father Hutton Gibson, and it paves the way for his son to marry his pregnant Russian girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva by Christmas.
Having had his request turned down by Catholic bishops, Mel, 53, pleaded his case in front of a tribunal of members from the Church of the Holy Family, his breakaway Catholic church in Malibu.
Hutton, who once studied for the priesthood only to leave before he was ordained, presided over the hearing. He granted Mel's annulment request after his son presented evidence that his union to Robyn, 53, was never a true marriage — even though they wed in a Catholic ceremony in Australia in June 1980.
"Especially important was Mel's description of how he felt pressured into the marriage in the first place because Robyn was pregnant," a family insider says.
"Those feelings indicated to Hutton that it couldn't have been a true marriage, and so he felt it must be invalid.
"After the discussion ended, Hutton pounded his fist on the table and said, ‘It is true that this union did not have what it takes to be a true marriage.'"
The family are at pains to keep the annulment, which took place a month after Robyn filed for divorce in April, a secret — but maybe not too secret.
"Mel hopes some of the bishops he has befriended recently can be persuaded to give him a proper Catholic annulment," the insider says.
Either way, Mel is forging ahead with plans for a Christmas wedding to Oksana, 39, despite her cold feet over his recent behaviour, which includes gambling escapades in Las Vegas.
Re: Mel Gibson divorces I'm sure Mahony wants to sell some indulgences these days
"The Enquirer reported:
It must be nice to have friends in high places- specifically, your religious zealot of a daddy. I find it very hard to believe that a real Catholic Bishop would grant an annulment of a 29-year marriage, regardless of how it started. But then again, several high-profile Catholics have managed to win annulments of decades-long marriages. The Kennedy family has spawned a few, including the most famous one in which Joe Kennedy won his bid for annulment against ex-wife Sheila Raunch Kennedy, who wrote about it bitterly in “Shattered Faith.” Though it’s never been confirmed, Ted Kennedy is also believed to have been granted one in his marriage to Joan Kennedy - he’s since been seen taking communion, which is a big no-no for divorced Catholics unless they’ve had an annulment. Mel does seem to have a way of getting what he wants - if he does end up marrying his mistress in a Catholic church, we will have our answer."
Re: Mel Gibson divorces Regardless of how it began he continued to live with her for 28 years and to have four more children with her. It would have been considered valid by the Catholic Church and he would have a lot of trouble trying to get a real annulment if he went through normal channels.
Re: Mel Gibson divorces Rereading my earlier account the fact that Mel Gibson felt pressured to marry his pregnant girlfriend is only an indication of what a jerk he actually is. It does not invalidate his marriage. No wonder that Robyn had decided she has had enough.
Re: Mel Gibson divorces "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- In her first television interview since Mel Gibson went public with their relationship in April, his girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, made it clear to CNN: "I'd like to be known for my music." "
"The Oscar-winning ("Braveheart") filmmaker also directed four music videos for Grigorieva during a whirlwind week in Mexico."
"Grigorieva says she and Gibson have no immediate plans for marriage. "We don't know yet. We haven't really talked about it," she admitted. "
"If you think about it, every talent needs a serious push and help from somebody who is stronger, because it's pretty much impossible for anybody to succeed in this industry. So I've become very lucky, and I'm very grateful," she said. "You don't control the situations or the people you meet. I did not plan this. I'm just doing what I've always been doing. It's not like I've changed my goals at all."
"The suit, filed by top Los Angeles firm Lavely & Singer, calls Oksana "an internationally renowned model, pianist and musical composer and performer.""
"The lawsuit claims Samuel Oriti met Oksana in 2004 and told her he was trying to negotiate a deal for her with a prominent lingerie company. She participated in a photo session, based on his representations the suit claims, and modeled lingerie. Oksana also claims she paid for the shoot and that Oriti promised not to distribute the photos elsewhere.
But, once RadarOnline.com was first to reveal that Oksana was Mel's new girlfriend, interest in her grew and the photos were
published - including on RadarOnline.com, the suit says. Suddenly flush with Mel's money, Oksana was able to afford one of LA's top law firms to make sure no one but Mel gets to see her in lingerie."
