131 out of 131 annulment requests granted

[larsont7]

Even Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II argued that annulments were becoming too easy to obtain.

According to Catholic News Service, Benedict cautioned that tribunals need to defend the sacrament of marriage as a lifelong commitment by requiring deep and serious causes for a religious divorce.

He quoted Pope John Paul II in telling the Rota members they were the bulwark against “the scandal of seeing the value of Christian marriage destroyed in practice by the exaggerated and almost automatic multiplication of declarations of nullity.”

And apparently the U.S. is the worst culprit regarding annulments:

Our Sunday Visitor, the nation’s largest Catholic weekly, reported in May that the USA , home to 6% of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, accounts for “about two-thirds of annulments granted each year by Church tribunals globally.”

That number rose sharply between 1968 when there were 338 annulments, to a peak of more than 60,000 in the early '90’s according to Our Sunday Visitor.

usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/29/catholic-divorce-annulment/1875315/

 

[Gertabelle]

I’m curious about something with regard to those of us who have sought annulments.

I know waaaaaaay more people who simply divorced and then remarried outside the Church, than those who have gone through the annulment process. Way, way, way more!

So I wonder now, how many of the people who are granted a decree of nullity, do not in fact go on to marry in the Church? I have a friend who went through the very, very long process, received her decree of nullity (she and her 3 adopted children were completely abandoned ), and hasn’t even considered dating, even though her youngest is now an adult.

I’ve had a decree of nullity for over 7 years, and have no plans to date, let alone marry.

Well, that’s two of us who have the freedom to marry but aren’t. We certainly can’t be the ONLY ones out there.

The fact that someone even bothers to go through the process of working with a tribunal says something about that person. In this day and age when so many people just cohabit instead of even getting married civilly, why are so many people even seeking the Church’s opinion? If, as we seem to assume, they are faithless Catholics who don’t take marriage or their eternal souls seriously, why don’t they just go to a justice of the peace?

As always, I think there is far more going on here than people seeking annulments because they want to “be happy” or get remarried.

I am not saying that annulments should be granted just because somebody asks for one, but I do think we need to beware passing judgments on people about whom we know NOTHING, except that they sought an annulment.

God bless you!

Gertie

 

[FCGeorge]

I’m curious about something with regard to those of us who have sought annulments.

I know waaaaaaay more people who simply divorced and then remarried outside the Church, than those who have gone through the annulment process. Way, way, way more!

So I wonder now, how many of the people who are granted a decree of nullity, do not in fact go on to marry in the Church? I have a friend who went through the very, very long process, received her decree of nullity (she and her 3 adopted children were completely abandoned ), and hasn’t even considered dating, even though her youngest is now an adult.

I’ve had a decree of nullity for over 7 years, and have no plans to date, let alone marry.

Well, that’s two of us who have the freedom to marry but aren’t. We certainly can’t be the ONLY ones out there.

The fact that someone even bothers to go through the process of working with a tribunal says something about that person. In this day and age when so many people just cohabit instead of even getting married civilly, why are so many people even seeking the Church’s opinion? If, as we seem to assume, they are faithless Catholics who don’t take marriage or their eternal souls seriously, why don’t they just go to a justice of the peace?

As always, I think there is far more going on here than people seeking annulments because they want to “be happy” or get remarried.

I am not saying that annulments should be granted just because somebody asks for one, but I do think we need to beware passing judgments on people about whom we know NOTHING, except that they sought an annulment.

God bless you!

Gertie

Hello Gertie, thanks for the reminder. That is an interesting question. I really do not know. From my limited experience I would take a guess that maybe 80% do not remain single but “marry” or at least “date.” I could be way off on that though.

Why do you conclude that a judgment has been made that everyone is only doing this to “be happy?” Or that I have made a judgment on any particular individual in the 131 cases?

Hopefully I didn’t come across that way but maybe I did. Thanks Gertie,

Also, do you believe that it is likely that all 131 marriages were really not valid? Do you see how this could be alarming to people who really believe that their marriages are valid.

Yours in the Precious Blood,

Bryan

 

[FCGeorge]

Even Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II argued that annulments were becoming too easy to obtain.

And apparently the U.S. is the worst culprit regarding annulments:

usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/29/catholic-divorce-annulment/1875315/

Thanks Larsont, I’m not sure these addresses to the rota are read by our American tribunal judges.

Mary’s Advocates website has a link to all of them if anyone is interested in reading them.

Bryan

 

[Joy2day]

Hello felsguy,

I have personally corresponded with a number of Catholics who really do believe their marriage vows. They really do believe that what God joins man cannot put asunder.

They also really believe the Catechism that divorce is a “grave offense against the natural law.”

They also believe the Church’s teaching that if we persist in grave offenses until death we will end up separated from God forever in Hell.

They also truly love their spouses.

So, truly loving their spouses they desire for the spouses to go to Heaven. They understand that their spouses choice to divorce is a grave offense that is leading them on a path away from Heaven.

So, the faithful spouse desires for the prodigal spouse to repent. This includes a willingness to right the wrong of the divorce. To no longer claim that the marriage is over but to recognize and honor the marriage vows made before God.

IF a tribunal makes a claim that there was never a marriage then it becomes that much more difficult for the prodigal spouse to see the need to repent of the divorce. They can simply claim, “See, the Church has told me that I was never even married! I can 'move on!” My abandonment was never even a sin!!"

Sure, IF tribunals were infallible then this would be the case. But they are not infallible. They make wrong decisions. The Roman rota over turns a significant percentage of the decisions American tribunals make, for example. Sadly, however, most abandoned spouses do not either know or care enough to ask that the Roman rota be the court of second instance.

There is also the genuine concern that the faithful spouse often has for the children involved. How do we expect our children to have faith in a Catholic wedding when they see their dad force an annulment down the throat of their mom after 15 years of marriage?

"Hey little Barbara, it is okay, your mom thought she was married for 15 years but she really wasn’t validly married. But don’t you worry, your marriage will be a valid marriage. You don’t have to worry about your husband doing that to you. Trust the Church.

In the 70’s people were justifying divorce by saying that children would be better off if mom and dad were happy. That there would really be little or no negative consequences of divorce in the long run on children. Well, eventually studies showed that to be wrong. One study found that separation of parents takes an average of 5 years off of a child’s life. This was by far the most devastating event. More so than the death of a parent even. I am convinced that annulments are currently being justified in a similar way as divorce was. And that they too have long term consequences. We just have not yet acknowledged this. We are too concerned with the mom and/or dad being able to find a new love interest and “be happy.”

Sorry for the long answer. The short answer is that they love their spouse and children and want their spouses and children to go to Heaven. And they love their Lord and want the vows made before Him to be honored.

Bryan

I think the annulment process is a wonderful option for people who are divorced. It is unfortunate that more people do not make use of it. I also think there is a lot of confusion as to what grounds would constitute an invalid marriage. However, if you were married and then divorced, I think being told that your marriage never had a chance anyway, would be a huge relief in terms of self blame and hesitancy to try again. It could be good for people to analyse exactly what went wrong and why and how to avoid such a situation in the future. Unfortunately for the spouse who was 100% faithful to the marriage and married with the right intentions and disposition, it can be hard to accept their marriage was invalid because the other spouse did not have the same dispositions & especially if they have children.

 

[TimothyH]

Were they not properly vetted before getting married?

Why is “porn addiction” allowed to be a reason to annul marriages?

The addict is incapable of fulfilling their promise of fidelity.

25% of males in the USA are addicted to porn. 9% of the women in the US use pornography regularly. These have no business getting married.

When one party is incapable of fulfilling their promises then the marriage was a failure before it started.

-Tim-

 

[dans0622]

The main reason for all the annulments is porn addiction. Men addicted to porn are getting married and these are incapable of fulfilling their obligation to fidelity. Their vow to be faithful was null before it was even given. …

Hello,

Without discounting the seriousness of this problem, it is not an issue in the vast majority of cases I’ve seen. At most, I think it has been mentioned in maybe 10% of cases. I can probably count on one hand the number of cases where it was a primary concern.

As for the topic of the thread–chances are that I’d disagree with the decision in at least one of the 131 cases. That’s just statistical probability in light of my own experience.

But, without knowing the particulars, I can’t say that I disagree with any of them. I can’t say that even one of them was wrongly decided. I can’t say that the Rota would certainly overturn even one of them.

Dan

 

[EIF5A]

If annulments can be overturned…was the first annulment not “ratified” in heaven?

 

[SyroMalankara]

If annulments can be overturned…was the first annulment not “ratified” in heaven?

Declarations of nullity are considered fallible, so even though one can be declared, use your own conscience and discernment to understand whether remarriage is for you.

 

[Gertabelle]

Hello Gertie, thanks for the reminder. That is an interesting question. I really do not know. From my limited experience I would take a guess that maybe 80% do not remain single but “marry” or at least “date.” I could be way off on that though.

Why do you conclude that a judgment has been made that everyone is only doing this to “be happy?” Or that I have made a judgment on any particular individual in the 131 cases?

Hopefully I didn’t come across that way but maybe I did. Thanks Gertie,

Also, do you believe that it is likely that all 131 marriages were really not valid? Do you see how this could be alarming to people who really believe that their marriages are valid.

Yours in the Precious Blood,

Bryan

I cannot make any judgment whatsoever regarding the validity of any of the 131 cases. And to say that I could do so based, at the very least, on statistics or anecdotal evidence is to try to justify my passing a judgment on something about which I absolutely have no knowledge.

Am I disturbed by the number of annulments granted? Absolutely. Am I concerned about this message this sends to the world – both Catholic and non-Catholics? Absolutely.

I am not going to start some grass roots movement to transform or even abolish the annulment process. For now, I am going to allow the Magisterium to run things. Meanwhile, I am discouraging my friend from filing for divorce, and fighting for their marriage on my knees. My friends and I are encouraging each other to be chaste according to our states in life, and to live out in faith our God-given vocations.

In other words, we are not concerning ourselves with things outside of our calling to holiness. We are working against divorce where we encounter it, in our own lives and the lives of our friends. And we allow the Magisterium to be the Magisterium, rather than appointing ourselves as junior members.

So yes, I am deeply saddened that 131 proceedings were even necessary in one diocese. But my response is not to question their validity, but to encourage and pray for my married friends, live the vocation God has given me right here, right now, where He has placed me.

My two cents’.

Gertie

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Something to consider is that not all people applying for declarations of nullity are Catholic. They may be non-Catholics wishing to marry a Catholic or non-Catholics in RCIA.

When I have someone in RCIA who is divorced (and not remarried) I strongly encourage them to apply for a declaration of nullity, even if they don’t have intentions of remarrying. My reasoning is that you don’t know what may happen in the future, and if they meet someone and want to marry after becoming Catholic, I don’t want them to have to choose between remaining in the relationship or remaining in the Church. I think it’s better for them to know their status up front.

Non-Catholics don’t have the same background or attitudes about marriage as Catholics. Many come from church communities where divorce and remarriage are acceptable or at least tolerated.

 

[janeway529]

I also want to add that if the Court of Second Instance (In LA, it’s Orange and vice-versa) disagrees with the Court of First Instance’s decision, the case will be sent back for review and the process is investigated again, which may contribute to the high annulment rate figures.

 

[MaryT777]

I also want to add that if the Court of Second Instance (In LA, it’s Orange and vice-versa) disagrees with the Court of First Instance’s decision, the case will be sent back for review and the process is investigated again, which may contribute to the high annulment rate figures.

When we have the Court of Second Instance in a position to disagree with the Court of First Instance which involves experienced Canon law experts then any Catholic with any desire to pursue an annulment should do so no matter what any first ‘instance’ priest or deacon says. To dissuade annyone from doing so is to do a grave disservice to either or both party/parties of a couple.

Mary.

 

[powerofk]

Another thing, alluded to by Pope Francis, that may contribute to the high rate of granting decrees of nullity, has to do with the overriding culture we see ourselves in today. I’m serious here. A large percentage of people getting married today are children of divorced parents. People in this situation often don’t have an example of their parents persevering despite their problems, and end up not being taught skills to deal with their problems. In addition, our culture teaches us that love is simply romantic, sexual feelings for one another - and when those feelings fade, well, it’s time to move on. As such, it’s no wonder why many couples really don’t understand their vows are truly life-long commitments.

 

[christofirst]

Another thing, alluded to by Pope Francis, that may contribute to the high rate of granting decrees of nullity, has to do with the overriding culture we see ourselves in today. I’m serious here. A large percentage of people getting married today are children of divorced parents. People in this situation often don’t have an example of their parents persevering despite their problems, and end up not being taught skills to deal with their problems. In addition, our culture teaches us that love is simply romantic, sexual feelings for one another - and when those feelings fade, well, it’s time to move on. As such, it’s no wonder why many couples really don’t understand their vows are truly life-long commitments.

On the other hand, is it possible that the high divorce rate today reflects a reaction against the mothers and fathers of a generation or two ago who felt compelled to tough it out in loveless or abusive marriages? Children who saw their mothers or fathers remain in misery with cheating or violent spouses because of the unbreakable bond of a one-sided commitment decided (en masse?) that they would never spend their lives in such a relationship.

 

[Peebo]

The church has the authority to grant annulments…if anyone thinks they know better than the tribunals who grant them then let them show proof here in the 131 cases…if there are now 131 couples who are now sacramentally free to participate in the Holy Eucharist what business is that of anyone not involved…maybe some Catholics think they deserve to take the Body and Blood of Christ more than those who have been through the annulment process

 

[dans0622]

I also want to add that if the Court of Second Instance … disagrees with the Court of First Instance’s decision, the case will be sent back for review and the process is investigated again…

Hello,

It doesn’t really work that way. If the second instance Court comes to a different conclusion, either the case automatically goes to the Rota or the process is finished unless a Party appeals the case to the Rota. Beyond that, I don’t think this is the time or place to get into a discussion of procedure…well, it might be the time or place but I don’t have time.

Dan

 

[MaryT777]

I put the term in quotes for I know there is no such term as a first instance priest of course.A priest or deacon is the first step in my diocese in most cases to get the “ball rolling” so to speak.

I have been through the process and my marriage was annulled. I was fortunate to have an attorney who was trained in Canon law who filed my case for me. He did so as a service to the diocese in cases where perhaps the initial priest or deacon wasn’t sure if there were sufficient grounds and were hesitant to recommend going forward. He told me he never had a case denied.

That has been years ago however.

Mary.

 

[MaryT777]

You have received great replies! Especially the valuable perspective of people who have been through the process, and those people that are an integral part of tribunals.

It is easy to see a number like 131 and be upset and make assumptions. Remember though that it is likely most of those 131 people who filed really CARE what the church teaches and are willing to go through the expense and anguish of the process. Many people I know just divorced and didn’t bother with the annulment process, frankly they could give “a hoot” what the Catholic Church teaches.

So you have 131 people who care about their faith, have a good case because it has been passed on, and have made their case before other highly trained and dedicated people. Sounds right to me, prayers that it is.

Monnica, that was so well said. God bless you.

When I first heard about the process I almost threw in the towel to become a Lutheran. I did not want to drag in witnesses, my mother, my friends etc to this because some were uncomfortable with it. My mother was a fallen away Catholic and was my main witness for I was not one to “air my dirty laundry in public” so most felt we were the “perfect couple.” She said the Church is a disgrace for divorced people and refused initally to participate as well so I was stalled due to a lack of witnesses.

Add to that, in the City I lived in at the time, Omaha, there had been a well known law suit for slander based on testimony in an annulment case that made the newspapers so I was just at a loss.

It was after speaking to my Grandmother who reiterated when I needed to hear; you care so much about being Catholic just go ahead and put this in the hands of God and I did so and am so glad for the support I received from her and my Canon attorney who filed the paperwork for me and told me every Catholic has the right to pursue this no matter how “perfect” or valid the marriage may have initially seen. I told my mother from my heart I needed her testimony for she was closest to the situation and she agreed albeit reluctanty.

I am much appreciative to those who took the time and effort (and it does take a lot of time) to assit me in my case such as witnesses. I will forever be greatful to my Canon attorney Bill who held out hope for me that I indeed had a case.

Mary.

 

[janeway529]

Yes, I should have clarified. I meant if a case is in the affirmative.