Annulment

Marriages don't fail because couples want them to. They fail for very real reasons. The annulment process looks at those reasons and tries to determine if there were signs of them from the beginning. The Catholic Church expects certain qualities and capabilities to be present in those getting married. These need to be present in order for the marriage to be Sacramental and thus, valid in the eyes of the Church.

An annulment does not say that children born of the union are illegitimate, by the way, or that anyone did anything "wrong". It simply deals with the Sacramental character of the marriage.

The grounds for an annulment are varied and quite extensive. The physical consummation of a marriage has nothing to do with a church annulment and the vast majority of cases in which annulment are granted have nothing to do with physical failure to consummate and, indeed, often involve marriages of long duration with one or more children.

Put most simply, the Church recognizes that only true marriage exists only where the parties to the marriage were in a position fully to have lived up to requirements of a sacramental marriage. Where such high standard is not met, a Sacramental marriage, no matter what preparations for the wedding were undertaken, no matter all good intentions, no matter having a beautiful ceremony, never existed, spiritually, that is.

Although there are many bases upon which an annulment may be granted, some of the most frequently encountered arise from a lack of due discretion or lack of due competence at the time of the marriage itself. These basically mean that at the time of the marriage, one or the other party did not have sufficient judgment truly to understand what the nature of marriage was or was simply incapable, at least at the time of the marriage, to take on the responsibilities and obligations of marriage.

The facts tending to demonstrate this are varied. Valid cause for an annulment may include situations such as:

• When the parties married too young to be fully aware of the requirements of a true sacramental marriage.
• One of the parties in the marriage entered into the union with no intention at all of having children or with the intention of limiting the number of children and misled their spouse.
• There was a pattern of infidelity which would indicate that at least one party to the marriage was unable to maintain an exclusive marital commitment .
• There is a pattern of physical or emotional abuse also suggesting that at least one party was unable to live up to the standard of a sacramental marriage.

In the end of the process, because the relationship was deemed an ‘invalid" marriage, it is as if it never occurred. In a spiritual sense, it didn't exist. Therefore folks receiving an annulment can marry, within the church, since the prior relationship is considered null and void.

Divorce, on the other hand, is considered a civil ceremony, and does not affect one within the church, unless they should seek to remarry. It is considered "bigamy" within the church, regardless of what secular authorities allow, unless an annulment is granted.

In His Love,

Lisa Alekna
July 05, 1999

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