Divorce versus Annulment?

[mikekle]

My dad has been married 3 times now, his first wife (my mother) died back in 1988 due to a drug overdose, about 5 years later, he married again, but it did not work out, so they divorced after a year, and is now remarried and has been married to this same lady for the past 14 years, they are both happy, so I think this one will last. I also should mention, each time he was divorced, he got the marriage annuled at his parish.

Im curious why the church even offers Annulments? Seems to me they are making an ‘easy out’ for todays society, so they dont drive a large number of people away from the church.

Anulment or not, it is still getting a divorce…right? and divorce is wrong in Gods eyes(for simply not being able to get along), I understand the reasons why divorce is acceptable to God though.

 

[1ke]

I also should mention, each time he was divorced, he got the marriage annuled at his parish.

Each time? There seems to be only one time from what you describe.

The first marriage ended with the death of his spouse. He was then free to marry. Something in the second attempt at marriage proved to be invalid. He is now married. So, I don’t see "each " divorce. I see one divorce.

Also he did not “get” his marriage “annulled”. The tribunals weighed the facts and issued a declaration of nullity. Or, it is possible that this was a Ligamen case or a lack of form cases. We don’t have enough facts to go on.

Im curious why the church even offers Annulments?

The Church doesn’t “offer annulments”. The Church weighs facts about a marriage and renders a decision as to the validity or invalidity of that marriage.

Seems to me they are making an ‘easy out’ for todays society, so they dont drive a large number of people away from the church.

That’s an opinion, but it doesn’t seem based on any facts.

Anulment or not, it is still getting a divorce…right?

No. A decree of nullity and a divorce are two different things. I invite you to read the book Annulment: The Wedding That Was by Michael Smith Foster for a better understanding.

and divorce is wrong in Gods eyes(for simply not being able to get along), I understand the reasons why divorce is acceptable to God though.

Remarriage when one is already validly married is wrong. It seems your father was not already validly married in the case of his second attempt at marriage.

 

[Gorgias]

My dad has been married 3 times now, his first wife (my mother) died back in 1988 due to a drug overdose, about 5 years later, he married again, but it did not work out, so they divorced after a year, and is now remarried and has been married to this same lady for the past 14 years, they are both happy, so I think this one will last. I also should mention, each time he was divorced, he got the marriage annuled at his parish.

Hmm… “each time he was divorced”? You only demonstrate one divorce – from his second wife…? His marriage to your mom naturally came to an end with her death, so no annulment would have been necessary.

Im curious why the church even offers Annulments?

Because, apparently, many enter into marriage invalidly.

Anulment or not, it is still getting a divorce…right?

No.

A divorce says “there was a valid marriage, but now the spouses want to dissolve the marriage, so we’re going to make a legal pronouncement that the marriage is now ended.”

A declaration of nullity says “there was never a valid sacramental marriage from the very beginning.”

Big difference; a declaration of nullity is not a divorce.

 

[Phemie]

A divorce says “there was a valid marriage, but now the spouses want to dissolve the marriage, so we’re going to make a legal pronouncement that the marriage is now ended.”

A declaration of nullity says “there was never a valid sacramental marriage from the very beginning.”

Big difference; a declaration of nullity is not a divorce.

Nitpick:
A divorce says “there was a -]valid/-] legal marriage but now the spouses want to dissolve the marriage, so we’re going to make a legal pronouncement that the marriage is now ended.”

A declaration of nullity says “there was never a valid -]sacramental/-] marriage from the very beginning.”

A declaration of nullity doesn’t speak to the sacramental nature of a marriage, only to its validity. Not all valid marriages are sacramental.

 

[Todd977]

Since a valid, consummated marriage between two Christians cannot be ended by any power on earth but only by the death of one of the spouses, the Church insists that certain requirements be met when the exchange of marriage vows takes place. Among the requirements is that the man and woman be old enough (no child-bride marriages), that they not be closely related by blood (no incestuous marriages), that neither of them is already married to someone else (no bigamous marriages) or already under a vow of celibacy, that they understand what a Christian marriage is about (fidelity, openness to life, etc.), that they freely and willingly exchange their vows (no shotgun weddings), etc. In addition, Catholics are required to follow the Catholic form of marriage, which, unless otherwise dispensed by their bishop, includes that the exchange of marriage vows take place in a Catholic Church and in the presence of a Catholic bishop, priest or deacon.

All marriages are presumed to be valid but if there is ever a question, a Church marriage tribunal can investigate the matter and give an authoritative decision on a marriage’s validity based on whether or not all the Church’s requirements were met for a valid exchange of marriage vows to take place. If the tribunal finds that any of the requirements were not met when the vows were exchanged, they issue their decision that, as far as the Church is concerned, the couple’s exchange of marriage vows was invalid and they were not validly married.

 

[Elizium23]

Valid, sacramental, consummated marriages are indissoluble, a valid natural marriage may be dissolved under certain circumstances, even after consummation.