THE former wife of the Massachusetts Representative, Mr Joseph Kennedy, has joined 24 North American Catholic groups in an appeal to the Catholic Church to end the annulment of marriages and accept divorces outright.
Ms Sheila Rauch Kennedy, whose 12 year marriage to the Democratic congressman was annulled by Church officials in Boston last year, wrote about her opposition to the process in the recently released book, Shattered Faith.
In an open letter addressed to Catholic bishops in the US and Canada, the groups representing tens of thousands of Catholics said Sunday that annulments effectively make a marriage invalid and unsacramental in the eyes of the Church. Furthermore, until the 12th century, divorce and remarriage were allowed in the Catholic Church, they said.
"What the bishops don't tell you is that it was the tradition of the Church to recognise divorce and remarriage," Dr Charlie Davis, the principal author of the letter, told reporters at a press conference in Boston.
Ms Kennedy said that at the weekend she faxed an appeal of her marriage annulment to the Vatican in the hopes that officials there would overturn Boston officials. The annulment has to be approved by two different courts or tribunals.
"What I've been told is that Rome adheres more strictly to the code of canon law," Ms Kennedy said. I think the marriage has a much better chance of being upheld in Rome than here."
Two years after the couple divorced in 1991, Mr Kennedy began pursuing an annulment of their marriage in 1993, the same year he remarried.
The son of the murdered US Attorney General, Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John Kennedy, Mr Kennedy has said he intends to run for governor of Massachusetts.
However, his former wife's battle against their marriage annulment in a heavily Catholic state, and his brother Michael's alleged affair with his family's teenage babysitter has hurt him in the polls. The polls now show Mr Kennedy is in a neck and neck battle for the Democratic nomination and he faces considerable challenge from the Republicans.