Almost as serious as the birth control crisis was the Church’s prohibition of divorce. According to this law, no truly sacramental marriage between baptized Catholics can be dissolved—even by the pope. In cases where the partners no longer can live peaceably together, they might be granted the Church’s permission to separate but without the right to remarry as long as either partner remains alive. In spite of the tremendous hardships this policy created for those involved in broken marriages, few dared to challenge the law until Vatican II.
