Fellow Catholics: What was your RC annulment process like?

Question

I am thinking about filing paperwork to seek an annulment for my first marriage through the Catholic Church - I have remarried to someone else since in a civil ceremony but I would like to receive the sacrement of communion again.

If you're Catholic and have been through the Catholic annulment process, I would love to hear your story. (NOTE: Please - no "Catholic bashing" answers from anyone who is NOT Catholic or does NOT believe in the annulment process - I have been struggling emotionally with this decision, and I really just want to hear the experiences of people who have been through this before.

My diocese (Nashville) does not charge anything for an annulment, BTW.

Answer 1

Oy...so much misinformation!

Okay, I've never been through it but you don't seem to be getting much help here.

My understanding is that you start out by meeting with your priest. He will give you a general assessment on your odds of receiving a decree of nullity and help you get the paperwork started.

Mind you, the tribunal will need proof that the vows you took during your marriage were invalidated for some reason. It doesn't matter what either spouse did AFTER the vows -- sinning against the marriage doesn't make the vows invalid -- it only matters what was true during the time of your vows.

Some people have received annulments because they were too young to understand that nature of the commitment, or because one of the couple intended to back out of the vows later on, or because one of the couple lied about being willing to have children and really wasn't, or because they had already conceived a child and felt like they *had* to marry, and so on. There are many different reasons and some are more easily proven than others. Your priest will help you asses your situation.

Please keep in mind that any children conceived during that first marriage would not be made "illegitimate" by your receiving a decree of nullity for that marriage. Since you were legally married, the kids are legitimate (legal = legit!), so you don't have to have any worries about that. Nor does it mean that your "marriage never existed." A decree of nullity means that you had a civil marriage (legal) but not a sacramentally valid one.

Anyway, after you file the paperwork, which may include signed testimonies from other witnesses (perhaps your parents, your ex, your friends from the time of the marriage, etc.), it is sent to a tribunal. The tribunal process is very thorough. One priest will take on the role of "devil's advocate" and argue against the annulment as a matter of course, not unlike the civil courts where you have attorneys arguing for either side.

If the annulment passes in your local diocese, it will be forwarded to a different tribunal to repeat the process. Only after it passes through two tribunals will the decree of nullity be granted. If it doesn't pass the second tribunal, it is reviewed by your home diocese and then sent on to a different tribunal in a third location to see if it passes.

If the local tribunal fails to find cause for annulment, they may request additional proof/testimonies/information and then debate again, or you may file an appeal with additional facts that you have been able to verify.

So it can take some time. The more information you have beforehand, the better.

BTW, the Vatican only gets involved when somebody is unhappy with the local tribunal's decision and appeals to Rome. This is very rare, although I hear it recently happened with Senator Ted Kennedy. He was granted an annulment, and his wife appealed to Rome. Some 8-10 years later, Rome answered in her favor. So Kennedy's marriage is not annulled like he thought it was. Kind of a shame for that second wife of his...

May God grant you peace, whatever happens...

Answer 2

Yes there is annulment in the catholic canon. However, only Vatican can do it. Just file the petition for annulment. The only ground I know, in your case, is psychological incapacity. That is vague and covers lots of things. You have to prove it. ask your bishop. I know one who was granted a petition but it took him 8years.

Oooops, by the way, the present pope, being very conservative, is unlikely to grant one. I

Answer 3

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RE :Fellow Catholics: What was your RC annulment process like?
I am thinking about filing paperwork to seek an annulment for my first marriage through the Catholic Church - I have remarried to someone else since in a civil ceremony but I would like to receive the sacrement of communion again.

If you're Catholic and have been through the Catholic annulment process, I would love to hear your story. (NOTE: Please - no "Catholic bashing" answers from anyone who is NOT Catholic or does NOT believe in the annulment process - I have been struggling emotionally with this decision, and I really just want to hear the experiences of people who have been through this before.

My diocese (Nashville) does not charge anything for an annulment, BTW.
Follow 4 answers

Answer 4

That's awful you can't receive communion cause you are divorced. That sounds like discrimination to me.

Answer 5

Catholics dont get divorced and they take pride in that