Odds of annulment being granted?

[lvbliss]

My dh has been married twice previously, both times in a civil ceremony. The first marriage lasted less than 2 years and the second was about 7 yrs and they had 3 kids.
He is not Catholic, I am. I would like to once again become a member in good standing and receive Communion. I continue to go to Church and volunteer there. Our child is being raised Catholic.
Does dh have to get two annulments? What are the odds of an annulment being granted?
Any help is appreciated!!!

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Your best bet is to go see your local priest, as he is the one who will most likely oversee the process of completing the forms for the tribunal. What you will get here is opinion. As decrees of nullity are very, very individualized, and it isn’t a good idea to lay your whole life out here for the whole world to see, start with your priest. If you don’t like the answers you get, or you think there’s better answers, call your diocese Marriage, Family Life, chancery or tribunal office.

It doesn’t matter how many kids your husband has. What matters are the facts of whether or not a vow was properly made according to the tribunal’s examination of each marriage. And no, no children are illegitimate in a putative marriage as a result of a decree of nullity!! How long it takes depdends on your local tribunal, how backed up they are, what they have to examine, how many witnesses your husband has, etc. But don’t lay it all out here! Go to your priest or your diocese and find out first-hand.

 

[puzzleannie]

he has to submit the facts of the first marriage for investigation by the canon law tribunal of the diocese where he resides, or where the marriage took place. He begins this process with the parish priest. If that marriage is found to be null, the second marriage is investigated (and so on). the sooner he starts the process, the sooner will be a resolution. The status of his children is not affected in any case, and has no bearing on the validity of either marriage, which investigates and judges only circumstances pertaining at the time of the marriage to see if both parties were free to marry, and had capacity and intent for full free will consent. Bear in mind this process looks at the reasons why the marriage was invalid at its inception. If that reason is something ongoing, that prevents him from validly marrying now (or at all) the judgment may place a condition that has to be rectified before he is free to marry.

A dramatic example to make the point: the 1st marriage was invalid because of mental illness which prevented free consent. He would have to demonstrate that situation has healed or been treated so he now can freely consent.

 

[1ke]

My dh has been married twice previously, both times in a civil ceremony. The first marriage lasted less than 2 years and the second was about 7 yrs and they had 3 kids.
He is not Catholic, I am. I would like to once again become a member in good standing and receive Communion. I continue to go to Church and volunteer there. Our child is being raised Catholic.

I am glad you are taking steps to reconcile with the Church

Does dh have to get two annulments?

You and your husband need to sit down with your parish priest and lay out ALL the facts. There is no way to speculate here on this board regarding decrees of nullity. Each one is unique and there is much investigation into all of the factors.

Yes, each marriage will have to be examined and the events surrounding them including the baptismal status of your husband, his previous spouses, whether or not they had prior marriages, etc.

Too many variables to get any sort of “answers” here on the forum.

I do suggest, however, that you buy the book Annulment: The Wedding That Was by Michael Smith Foster and read it together. It will help you educate yourself on all the aspects of the nullity process.

What are the odds of an annulment being granted?

The process cannot be framed in terms of “odds”. The tribunal is not a Las Vegas establishment where “odds” and “probability” enter into the equation.

Rather, each case is unique and the individual circumstances determine whether or not their are grounds for nullity or for other options within the Church.

No one can tell you the “odds”.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

It is not possible to get a good figure on the proportion of cases which receive a positive result.

If the case does not appear to be headed for a positive decision, the petitioner will often be advised to let it drop, or not to formally file it in the first place. If new evidence becomes available it is easier to reopen the case than to try to reverse a negative decision.

Many cases go dormant because the petitioner is unwilling to wait; so opts for a civil marriage and does not pursue the annulment further.

Thus it would appear at first glance that most decisions are positive. However, that ignores the fact that many [most?] cases do not reach a decision.