Okay, folks. I think it is really unfair to immediately jump to the conclusion that this “annulment writer” whoever he is, is trying to do a bad spin for someone like the OP or that annulments are “granted” willy nilly.
What this “annulment writer” is trying to do is really take on part of the traditional role of the canon lawyer advocate. As a matter of fact, if you get divorced in a place like Italy, you need to go through the annulment process as well, which means that your attorney is probably also a canon lawyer. That little “application form” is really not an “application” so much as it filing a lawsuit against the bond of marriage. The forms are very similar throughout the different dioceses; they are trying to arrive at the same basic information about the identity of the parties, their backgrounds, and their personal histories including their childhoods, time of courtship(s), what went on in the marriage(s), and what led to the divorce(s). Also, for those who may not realize it, most of these forms have an oath of truthfulness that the petitioner must sign. These are court papers. Not only that, but they are just the preliminary paperwork. The party(s) will be called in to do a more extensive interview, the witnesses will be interviewed by the Tribunal, etc.
I suggested that the OP ask this person’s credentials because as a Judge and as an Advocate, I know exactly what the Tribunals are looking for when reviewing the “application form” to decide whether to admit the case to the docket or not. Before I was a canon lawyer I helped out at my Tribunal as a trained volunteer. I was made an official “submitting minister” to help people write their petitions out and sort through what they needed to initially present the Tribunal. Maybe this person the OP is referring to has this kind of experience.
Let me give you an example of the kind of thing an “annulment writer” will need to know. If the petitioner has a 2" stack of printouts of proof of some nefarious internet activities or activities to pertaining to a particular action, a wise person will select a few samples and note that should the Court want more, they have X number of pages more available. Why? Because the Tribunal usually has better things to do than to read through dozens of emails about infidelity. Another example is when you’re supposed to explain your childhood environment. The Tribunal is not looking for long winded narrations of how well or poorly you did in school and in your social life. You can say you were an average student or a star student. You can indicate you were heavily involved or maybe only partially involved in extracurricular activities and mention a few of them. They don’t want your transcripts unless they are really bad and you’re trying to prove a low IQ (in which case, your guardian would be writing up the application).
A theology background does not necessarily give a person the practical knowledge of the grounds that should be brought forth in the petition. Sometimes- not often- I have been referred to help with appealing negative decisions as an advocate because the petitioner and their pastor were convinced that they had a “slam dunk case of X” and didn’t realize that they didn’t have the right information in the case (that they possessed but didn’t bring forth because their case was so air tight in their minds). Experience, then, can be very helpful, both in initially presenting the case to the Tribunal, and in making sure that the proper evidence is submitted.
God has given the power of the keys to the Church and this is one area in which She wields this power. It may also interest the annulment mills conspiracy theorists to know that we in the annulment process take it very seriously. It is a matter of our salvation, too, you know.
