how hard is it to get a catholic marrige annuled?

Answer 1

Every case is different. It depends on the circumstances.

The term "annulment" is a misnomer because the Church does not undo or erase a marriage bond. Rather the Church issues declarations of nullity when it discovers that the parties were not truly joined by God and hence a full spiritual sacramental marriage as understood by the Church was not present.

Approach the appropriate person your in your parish who has been trained in the process. If you encounter difficulties, you may go directly to the diocese.

Be prayerful, honest and patient. It takes a while.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

I've heard it was really hard from a priest in my parish who is a canon lawyer.

More can be found here http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9909fea2.asp. Here's a tidbit:

The word "annulment" is not actually used in the Code of Canon Law, and canon lawyers generally refer to "declarations of matrimonial nullity" when addressing this topic. In any event, an annulment is an official determination by an ecclesiastical tribunal that what appeared to be a valid marriage in the eyes of the Church was not.

An annulment is not a finding that the two former spouses never really loved each other, nor does it conclude that the divorce was more one side's fault than the other's, or that one party is a better Catholic than the other, and so on. It is only a determination of one or more of the following: that, at the time of the wedding, one or both parties to the marriage lacked sufficient capacity for marriage; that one or both parties failed to give their consent to marriage as the Church understands and proclaims it; and, in weddings involving at least one Catholic, that the parties violated the Church's requirements of canonical form in getting married. In practical terms, after nullity is declared-if it is declared-the Catholic Church considers the parties of the impugned marriage free of the marriage bond that would have otherwise arisen.

Answer 3

It depends on the circumstances.

One thing that all petitions for annulment have in common is that they usually take a while. One reason for that is that there is a Church tribunal which conducts an investigation that involves witnesses -- similar to what a grand jury does before deciding whether to issue an indictment.

Family members and close friends may be "called" as witnesses -- though these witnesses will probably not actually be "called" to "testify" face to face. Usually it can be done in written form by mail.

I was once called as a witness for a friend of our family who was going through the annulment process, so this is where my knowledge of the process (which is limited) comes from.

I also work for the Archdiocese of Miami, though I don't work for the folks who handle annulments.

Answer 4

It depends on how long the marriage has lasted. First, it must NOT have been consummated. If you had sex, no go on annulment. If you have children, you will have a VERY difficult time proving you did not have sex... or, we are in for a bunch of new Holy days. Work it out, marriage isn't easy, but that does not mean you should just toss in the towel if it is a little rough. Talk you your priest, a counselor, or even Dr. Phil (ugh!). The best advice is from Paul Newman and Joann Woodward, "We work HARD at our marriage, every day."

Answer 5

Aren't the Catholic peoples against divorce and annulment? It can take a long time for any type of marriage.

Answer 6

You need to talk to a priest, he can put you in touch with a canon expert (church law, not artillery).

It uwed to be if you could prove that one of the people went into the marriage not commited to it, you could get it annuled. The rules have changed - it is easier now, but still harder than divorce.

Answer 7

It depends how long you've been married but in the catholic religion it has to be a very good reason to get it annulled. they don't take marriage as lightly as the rest of us.

Answer 8

That would depend entirely upon the circumstances and whether or not it was a valid sacramental marriage. Your best course of action is to consult with your parish priest, or call your diocesean office and ask to speak to a cannon law expert who can answer your questions.

Answer 9

Depends on how much money you have to bribe a priest.

Or, it depends on how politically influential you are if you don't have a lot of money to bribe a priest.

Bribing a priest is the key to salvation in a Catholic church.

Answer 10

It is a pain, but usually do-able. The Church will expect you to give of your time, treasure and talent (in other words, you will pay a lot of money and have to do a lot of volunteer crap) before they will come to the stunning conclusion that their was never a valid marriage. What a load.