Pauline privilege

Hello little one! Let me explain the Pauline Privilege to you in a way that you can easily understand.

The Pauline Privilege is a special rule that the Catholic Church has regarding marriage. It comes from a passage in the Bible called 1 Corinthians 7:15. This passage talks about what should happen if a non-Christian spouse decides to leave their Christian husband or wife.

The Pauline Privilege says that if a non-Christian spouse leaves a Christian husband or wife and they want to get married to someone else, the Christian can apply for an annulment. An annulment is when the Church says that a marriage never really existed in the first place.

So, let's say that Mrs. Smith is a Christian and she is married to Mr. Smith who is not a Christian. One day, Mr. Smith decides he doesn't want to be married to Mrs. Smith anymore and he leaves her. Mrs. Smith still wants to get married and have a family, and she meets someone else who she wants to marry. But, since she was already married to Mr. Smith, she can't get married again unless she gets an annulment.

With the Pauline Privilege, Mrs. Smith can apply for an annulment because her marriage to Mr. Smith was not a true Sacrament since he was not a Christian. This means that the Church agrees that her marriage to Mr. Smith was not really a marriage in the eyes of God, and she is free to marry someone else.

I hope this helps you understand the Pauline Privilege, little one!