An interview with Bai MacFarlane on Godspy

A very informative interview with Bai MacFarlaine on Godspy about no-fautl divorce and the Catholic Church.

Her high-profile Catholic marriage—and divorce case—has sparked a debate about the injustice of no-fault divorce and the tragedy of marital abandonment. We spoke to Bai Macfarlane about her struggle to reform civil and ecclesial marriage laws in the U.S.

By Zoë Romanowsky

“All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

If ever there was a couple to make a liar out of Leo Tolstoy, it seemed that Bud and Bai Macfarlane were it. As parents of four home-schooled young boys, and founders of Catholic media apostolates like the Mary Foundation, St. Jude Media and CatholiCity, they appeared—at least from a distance—uniquely happy in their role as young leaders of the “New Faithful” Catholic revival inspired by the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.

But Tolstoy’s maxim reasserted itself early last year when Bud left the family and filed for divorce, accusing his wife of “extreme cruelty” and “gross neglect of duty”—charges Bai vehemently denies. Even worse, according to Bai, her refusal to give up home-schooling her sons—per Bud’s demand—and to go along with the divorce, was twisted by the courts into an excuse to punish her by giving primary custody of her children to her husband.

The irony—in a story filled with ironies—is that while formerly irrepressible Bud has withdrawn from public view, Bai is now in the spotlight because of her new mission: to reform Catholic marriage and civil divorce in this country. Bai’s fight is personal, but extends way beyond her marital problems. No-fault laws, she says, together with church diocesan policies that encourage marital abandonment and easy annulments, puts innocent spouses (and children) at a disadvantage in civil divorce cases and helps tear families apart. We talked to her about how the past year has shaped her view of these issues.

Macfarlane
divorce
marriage
homeschooling

Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!