Marriage and Divorce from Shia and Catholic Perspective

This study focuses on the fact that marriage constitutes a social pivot upon which human communities depend in the preservation and continuation of the cycle of life in embodying the state of innate association and connection as a requirements of creation. It is an innate need declared by the heavenly books and regulated by divine laws. The reason for this is that it is a practical expression aimed at explaining the origin of creation in the human symmetry between a man and a woman.

The Islamic religion has proven this issue with what is termed as the “cosmic verse” to confirm its goal of tranquility and stability “to dwell in it” through “affection and mercy”, so it organized legislation and made provisions for it. Also, Christianity, especially Catholicism, proved that issue with what is called “union” between a man and a woman because “after that, there are not two bodies, but one body”. So affection is a basis for the nature of unity between spouses to confirm the sanctity of marriage and its perpetuity as a bond that cannot be canceled. Further, it terminated, for “what God has joined together, let no one separate”. Therefore, this is why Catholic Christianity emphasized the general prohibition of divorce from the beginning.

Accordingly, the researcher deals with showing the issue of marriage and divorce between the Catholic Christian doctrine and the Imamate Shiite doctrine with the aim of making a comparison that sheds light on the statement of the origin of the connection between a man and a woman in knowing the social and religious dimensions that exist between Shiites and Catholics, because they constitute views that are similar in concept, expand the idea, and they differ in attitude, without adopting a point of view different from what this study constitutes, especially with regard to the issue of dialogue between the Abrahamic religions. If the researcher has come to know the reality of marriage and divorce between the two doctrine, he has contributed to bringing the issue of the study closer in terms of noticing what is lacking in the legislation system in the Christian religion among Catholics, but rather the weakness of the basic need to respond to the requirements of the modern age concerning divorce compared to the treatments and solutions provided by the Imami Shiite doctrine over the past period of time and until today.