Pls Help. Need info on annulment

[PJM]

You’re best path is to call the Bishops office and ask to speak to the Annulment expert on staff. You can GOOGLE your diocese for contact information

Pray much

Patrick

 

[Horton]

In all reality I don’t care much about your credentials. I feel it is a shame you have such a poor opinion of priests. I guess in your world all priest are barely able to celebrate Mass.

I am sorry for and will pray for a change in attitude toward our holy priests.

 

[SerraSemper]

I am sorry you feel I have a poor opinion of priests. That is not the case. I was merely pointing out that a lot of priests are not experts in marriage cases. That does not translate to a general poor opinion of priests any more than my saying that most people are not experts in XYZ careers because they are not degreed in it. So be it. We are all good at something. A priest is trained to perform the sacraments and in many branches of theology. He does not receive much training in marriage nullity or dissolution cases. We can acknowledge that without feeling sad about the situation or feel like it is a “poor opinion”, just like we can acknowledge that most people engaged in playing sports are not in the NFL. That’s not giving a poor opinon about someone; it’s just stating facts.

 

[hwriggles4]

Trevorc:

Here’s a little brief help:

1. Google “Lisa Duffy”. She does some work with the Catholic Match Institute and has been featured on “Catholic Answers Live”. She has a short paper titled, “The top 10 annulment myths” that can be printed as a one page flyer on 8.5 x 11 paper. It’s brief, and has some good information. There are many misconceptions about the annulment process.
2. It sounds like your girlfriend may be able to get an annulment through the “lack of form” process. She was not married in the eyes of the Catholic Church, and her marriage was brief. It’s possible that she did not marry freely the first time (I do know some of the religions in India are still big on arranged marriages), and if she married because her family pushed her (and she thought of it as an obligation), that is one condition that would be helpful in granting a decree of nullity.
3. By the way, the “lack of form” process is still an annulment, but the process is shorter, because many of these cases there’s a known impediment at the time of the wedding that the first marriage would not be sacramental. Review this with your priest, the tribunal, marriage prep leaders, or annulment advocate.
4. If your girlfriend is currently going through RCIA, the RCIA director is probably aware of the “lack of form” process, since many converts (and reverts) go through this process, and many pastors will not confirm a convert until a decree of nullity has been received.

Trevorc, I hope this is helpful. A few years back, I was a witness in an annulment case, and I had another friend (a convert) who spent a few years before he married his wife because his annulment took a few years.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

@hwriggles4, just to be clear, lack of form applies to Catholics, not to non-Catholics. Catholics are obliged to marry according to Catholic law and if they don’t (and don’t have permission to marry in another way) then the Church does not recognize their marriage as valid.

 

[JulianN]

There is nothing in the OP’s description to indicate his girlfriend’s first marriage was invalid as to form. She was a baptized Protestant who married a Hindu. The Church considers this a valid, though not sacramental, marriage. She should contact the pastor of their parish to discuss the possibility of beginning the process of obtaining a declaration of nullity.

This does not appear to be a lack of form situation; it would require a formal case, unless there is something significant missing from the OP’s post (such as his girlfriend or her husband being baptized Catholics).