Annulment

ANNULMENTS:

Many people are dismayed by the annulment process of the Roman Catholic Church. They are annoyed at the voluminous requirements that an annulment consists of and simply do not want to participate in it. They just look at the application and quit. I have helped many of these couples.

What types of marriages require annulment?

a. Civil Marriages:

The Roman Catholic Church holds some civil marriages to be indissoluble. Many people think that since they were not "married in the Church," that there is no problem in now marrying another person inside the Church. The government could say that there was a marriage but the Church could say that one never existed. This determination is called an annulment. It is a process of determining whether or not a "marriage" ever existed.

b. Marriaees Between two Protestants:

Marriage between two Protestants is totally "outside the Church." This fact is discovered by couples who want to be married inside the Church but one of the parties is a Protestant and was married to another baptized Protestant. They find that an annulment is required. Many Protestants are irritated and bewildered to find that they will have to submit to this exhausting, extensive, nosey, probing, paper process.

c. Divorced Catholic and Catholic:

For example, the groom has a previous marriage but will not proceed with an annulment. The bride's parents will not accept the marriage unless it is done by a priest. This is a common problem. I often help couples in this situation or in a similar one.

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EXCEPTIONS. EXCEPTIONS. EXCEPTIONS

The Roman Catholic Church says that only marriages under its jurisdiction are sacramental. Yet, it has exceptions to this. It says that a sacramental marriage is indissoluble. It also says that Orthodox sacraments are valid. Holy Matrimony is one of the sacraments. The Orthodox are not under Roman jurisdiction. Note that this is an exception. A very clear one.

My Opinion: It seems to me that the real "acid test" of the sacramental nature of a marriage is its indissolubility. If two previously unmarried baptized people with no impediments and fully capable of consent sincerely utter vows of marriage, a sacrament of marriage takes place - inside or outside the Church sanctuary. The history of the sacrament supports this.

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