Pope Francis recently held a mass in Cuba attended by more than 300,000 people. (Photo : REUTERS/TONY GENTILE)
Radical changes to the procedure behind the Catholic Church's annulment of marriages have been proposed by Pope Francis.
These sweeping changes have been put in place to offset the lengthy process of annulment that has plagued the Church in the past.
According to the Washington Post, Vatican experts say the recent recommendations by the Pope are the most wide-reaching changes to be made in centuries.
The changes proposed by Pope Francis will make it less costly and easier for Catholics who choose to marry but would have otherwise been caught up with the Church's red tape.
The Pope's decision comes a month prior to a meeting with Catholic leaders to re-examine the Church's take on the current issues facing families, in particular divorce and remarriage.
Among the changes the major highlights include the elimination that annulment decisions require a second judgment and local Church Bishops will be permitted to expedite the process in certain instances.
While the annulment process will be free those seeking one will have to pay for administrative costs according to a Vatican Spokesperson, CNN reported.
While the changes are drastic they do not alter the Church's stance that marriages are meant to be permanent. However, according to Vatican experts the move is seen as a means to make the Church more sensitive to the real needs of its Catholic community.
Under current Catholic Church teachings without an annulment, Catholic followers who remarry cannot receive Holy Communion, which is among the major sacraments of the Church.
The announcement by Pope Francis comes just a few weeks before the Pontiff embarks on his very first visit to the United States. It is estimated according to the news channel of the 50,000 annulments granted in 2012, half of those came from America.
