Are annulments bad or good?

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fakename

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I was wondering if annulments of marriages good or bad in themselves.
 
Could be either. An annulment is simply an official declaration by the Church that a marriage was not valid from the get-go.

I guess the “goodness” or “badness” depends on the reasons for the partner(s) for seeking one. 🤷
 
They are a statement of truth about the validity of the marriage.

A such, they are neither morally good nor bad.
 
I think Brendan’s answer is right on. You can’t really judge an annulment because it’s only a statement of fact. You must remember that they are not dissolving anything, only stating that what was believed by some to be is not so.

In fact, if I had to choose, I would say they are good, only insomuch as they bring about truth.
 
fakename said:
I was wondering if annulments of marriages good or bad in themselves.
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You cannot annul a marriage. An annulment only declares, after investigation, that one or more requirements for a valid marriage were lacking. It is a statement of nullity - no marriage, in fact, existed. Because two individuals perform the physical rite of marriage is no guarantor of the validity of that marriage.
 
What is the moral status of divorce?

I’d say it is an inherent bad?
 
fakename said:
What is the moral status of divorce?

I’d say it is an inherent bad?
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It is a civil legal status between the two parties and the government. There is no such thing as divorce in the Church. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder”. The sin that occurs after a civil divorce (assuming a valid marriage existed at the time) is if either party remarries, or then lives unmarried with another (which is sinful anyway). If civilly divorced Catholics reconcile and wish to live together once again, they need do nothing - they were always married in the eyes of the Church. If this happens, a civil “marriage” is advised, since it affects their legal rights.
 
fakename said:
I was wondering if annulments of marriages good or bad in themselves.
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they are neutral. there is no such thing really as an annulment. a decree of nullity from the canon law tribunal is merely a statement of fact established by a judicial process, namely, that no valid marriage has existed for this particular couple. It does not dissolve a valid marrriage.
 
A good thing about a decree of nullity is that it brings out truth. You can both move on with your lives as unmarried people.

A bad thing is that it brings out truth. You were living as man and wife for all that time with a person who was not your spouse. It is the mortal sin of cohabitation and of course you’d need to go to confession.
 
I assist with annulment cases in my parish, and can tell you that an annulment is not only a statement of truth, but can also be in the service of justice. Here’s what I mean by that…

When two people get married, they take a lifelong vow stick with one another (“through good times and bad, sickness and health, etc.”). Before someone takes a vow of this magnitude, a sense of justice demands that he/she have a proper understanding of who the other person truly is. During the private pre-marriage interviews with the bride and groom, each promises to be truthful in their responses, and (among other questions) is asked whether or not they have kept aspects about themselves hidden from the other. This refers to information about themselves that the other has a right to know (as someone who will be agreeing to make a life-long commitment to this person).

The sad fact is, there are a number of people who lie to the priest during the interview as well as to their intended spouses. During the engagement period, they keep certain things about themselves secret because they are afraid that if the secrets become known, their fiances will not want to marry them. For example, a person may have a gambling addiction, or may intend not to be faithful and have adulterous relationships on the side, etc. Hiding such information is an act of deception, and prevents their fiances from making a properly informed decision to be married to them.

There are a variety of ways in which a marriage may not be sacramentally binding, but I am simply highlighting this one because it shows how justice can be an issue. If people use deception in order to convince people to marry them and the marriages later fall apart, justice demands that their ex-spouses be freed from that marital commitment (and be free to marry again). In this sense, an annulment is a good thing (in other words, it is a neutral statement of truth which serves a good purpose: the vindication of justice).
 
stephe1987 said:
A good thing about a decree of nullity is that it brings out truth. You can both move on with your lives as unmarried people.

A bad thing is that it brings out truth. You were living as man and wife for all that time with a person who was not your spouse.** It is the mortal sin of cohabitation and of course you’d need to go to confession**.
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Not necessarily. To live with someone to whom you are not married is, of course, grave matter. But the Church assumes marriages are valid until proven otherwise. The two parties in the marriage, also, can assume it is valid until proven otherwise. Because of this assumption, the spouses cannot have “full knowledge” that they are committing any sin. At least one of the requirements for mortal sin is lacking.
 
Brendan said:
They are a statement of truth about the validity of the marriage.

A such, they are neither morally good nor bad.
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👍 Exactly.

Now you can have a discussion as to whether *the process *of having a marriage examined is bad or good. But that’s another topic. 😉
 
fakename said:
What is the moral status of divorce?

I’d say it is an inherent bad?
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you already have a divorce thread going.
annulment is not divorce is not annulment so let us not confuse the issue
stephe1987 said:
A
A bad thing is that it brings out truth. You were living as man and wife for all that time with a person who was not your spouse. It is the mortal sin of cohabitation and of course you’d need to go to confession.
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this is simply untrue.
since an annulment investigation does not even begin until the marriage has irretrievably broken down, you are no long living together, and nothing whatever in the process states or implies there was a condition of sin while the couple was together in a putative marriage. Best to keep silent if you are not in possession of accurate information.

Eric is right, it is all about justice. It is a legal process to which either party has a right to pursue, and is about establishing truth and seeing justice is done.
 
puzzleannie said:
you already have a divorce thread going.
annulment is not divorce is not annulment so let us not confuse the issue
this is simply untrue.
since an annulment investigation does not even begin until the marriage has irretrievably broken down, you are no long living together, and nothing whatever in the process states or implies there was a condition of sin while the couple was together in a putative marriage. Best to keep silent if you are not in possession of accurate information.

Eric is right, it is all about justice. It is a legal process to which either party has a right to pursue, and is about establishing truth and seeing justice is done.
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:amen: And civil divorce can often be about protecting physical health, mental health, children, and finances. There are very few absolutes in this area; each case deserves individual attention and pastoral care.
 
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