Annulment

Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Annulment differs from divorce where the court ends an otherwise legal marriage on a specific date.

Annulment in the Catholic Church

In the case of the Catholic Church, annulment does not mean the same thing as divorce, though some criticize the Catholic Church of preaching that all marriages are permanent but providing the means of annulment. These two seeming opposing ideas can be reconciled by understanding that the annulment process is not a method to dissolve a marriage but rather to determine whether a marriage was valid. While annulment is sometimes abused in practice to get around the "no divorce" rule, that is not the Church's intention behind the availability of annulment. An annulment affirms the Scriptural basis of divorce and at the same time affirms that in a true marriage, a man and a woman become one flesh before the eyes of God.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For this reason (or for other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed.132 In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1629 The status of the children produced during the marriage that was originally blessed by the Church remains unclear. This is especially problematic in the case of long-term marriages that are declared to have never existed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An annulment verified by the Catholic Church is independent from obtaining a civil divorce, although before beginning a process in front of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, it has to be clear that the marriage community cannot be rebuilt.

Related Topics:
Civil - Divorce

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If someone has all the signs of being married previously, he or she must get an annulment before entering into a marriage in the Catholic Church, even if the individual was was not married in the Catholic Church previously. Catholics acknowledge the indissolubility of marriage for any baptized persons who give themselves freely in the bond of marriage.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~