Annulment - approaching the respondent

[MichaelPhillip]

I am about to submit an the annulment application.

Should I notify my ex-spouse or should i just leave that to the tribunal?

The key witnesses are mostly on her side or in her family and I’m not sure they will cooperate.

How do I approach this?

 

[joanofarc2008]

When I went through this it was an extremely bad situation with an abusive ex. I let God sort it out. My ex chose not to participate which worked out better in the end. I would say pray and discern and let the Holy Spirit guide you. This will be a healing process if you listen to him but can be an awful one if you take your own will.

 

[edward_george]

Ask your priest or tribunal advocate.

-ACEGC

 

[hotdiggity]

if you are on speaking terms with your ex then i suggest you think about giving her a heads up and sending / directing her to tribunal pamphlets that explain the process to those not of the Catholic faith (if that applies in your case)

 

[styrgwillidar]

I told my ex, which was easy since we were/are on speaking terms including her visiting the kids in our home. I filed the petition one year after the divorce was final.

I also contacted everyone the tribunal was going to contact, her and my parents as well as each of the witnesses I listed. I emphasized that the process was a search for the truth and I did want them to be completely honest. I was looking for the correct answer, whichever way it went. This would be particularly useful for you if some of the witnesses are not familiar with the process, what will be expected of them, or if some of the witnesses are not Catholic. I didn’t see the point of listing witnesses who would be unwilling to fill out the questionaire.

As part of the process, the respondent is also requested to list witnesses, which may of course be different than the ones you listed.