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Elizabeth Smart's Parents Officially Divorced ... New Chapter Begins

Elizabeth Smart's parents are putting 34 years of marriage in the rearview mirror ... 'cause they're officially divorced.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Ed and Lois finalized their divorce in Salt Lake County Court. The terms of the divorce -- the division of their property and financial accounts -- are not disclosed in the settlement.

As we reported, Ed revealed back in August that he's gay -- and also announced he and Lois were in the process of getting divorced. They hammered out the settlement pretty quickly -- by Hollywood standards, anyway -- and the judge has already signed off.

At the time, Ed said he would no longer live a lie and insinuated he contemplated suicide while he kept his secret. Ed spoke out publicly Monday for the first time and talked about being gay, telling Gayle King on "CBS This Morning" ... "There is no cure. This is absolutely not a choice. And, I wish my wife knew that. I wish that, more than anything."

Ed said he went to therapists and church leaders in hopes they would help him with his anxiety over his sexuality. Elizabeth -- whose kidnapping made national headlines back in 2002 -- had said at the time she was saddened by her parents' split.

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