text: "Evidence?" for a practice of a millennium? First of all, the Vatican was not strict with US Eastern Rite Churches. US Eastern Catholics early on voluntarily abandoned both ecclesiastical divorce and married clergy to quell controversy with US Latin Catholics. But the traditional practices continued in the old world. The council of Trent's statement about divorce and remarriage, in the 16th century, was adjusted to not condemn the Eastern practice. Also, Henry VIII never had a divorce, he only had annulments, and the Church of England's position on divorce and remarriage was for some time the same as the Latin Church. The ecclesiastical divorce and remarriage that was once the traditional practice of Eastern Catholics is the same as that now practiced by the Orthodox. If you really believe they're equivalent to annulments, you should have no problem if Rome adopts the Orthodox practice.