My Opinion on Catholic Annullments

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2014/04/fr-lombardi-responds-to-reports-on-popes-phone-call-to-divorcee/

My opinion may put me at odds with many of my Catholic friends, but I believe that the Pope "gets it" and the Vatican is totally out of touch when it comes to divorce and remarriage. This is the #1 reason that people leave the Church and the Church has turned something that should be a pastoral issue into a legal one and for most people (including Me) it is the final straw for them and they leave the Church. From what I have seen, the annullment process is overly legalistic, intrusive, and time consuming. People find out about the steps they have to go through to remarry and will have to wait YEARS for it to go through and then it may be denied. Most say goodbye and go to another denomination that welcomes them with open arms. I know dozens of former Catholics and every single one left due to this issue. When I read the Church's response, I see no compassion at all for people hurting and feeling like the Church is turning its back on them (except for the Pope) rather I see a bunch of lawyers in clerical collars talking about medieval cannon law. I pray that the Pope and Vatican can really look at this issue and totally modernize the annullment process along with rules on divorce and remarriage.