Syro-Malabar Annulment, in Mumbai, India

[jjoseph302]

Hello,

I would like to know the procedure to annul a marriage with respect to Syro-Malabar rite. I was married in the Syro-Malabar rite in 1991, in mumbai. (India)

Now, we both would like to mutually apply for a divorce. Please let us know the procedure for the same.

Please note, we were already divorced (by Civil Court) in 2006 and living separate since then.

Please advise,

Best Regards,
Liza

 

[RPRPsych]

Hello,

I would like to know the procedure to annul a marriage with respect to Syro-Malabar rite. I was married in the Syro-Malabar rite in 1991, in mumbai. (India)

Now, we both would like to mutually apply for a divorce. Please let us know the procedure for the same.

Please note, we were already divorced (by Civil Court) in 2006 and living separate since then.

Please advise,

Best Regards,
Liza

An annulment isn’t a divorce. It’s a declaration of nullity - a declaration that the marriage was never valid in the first place. (For example, if a man marries his stepmother - vide 1 Corinthians - this is not a valid marriage.) This holds good among all Churches in communion with the Roman Pontiff.

Thus, annulment isn’t “Catholic divorce”; if you married in good faith, ran into troubles and then decided to divorce civilly (as seems to be the case from your post), annulment is probably not an option. Though canonical norms may vary slightly across rites, this principle holds good.

A few more details would help us understand if you truly have a case for an annulment.

 

[1ke]

You make an appointment with your pastor who will guide you through the steps necessary to apply for a decree of nullity, if you have any grounds for nullity.

The nullity process starts in the local parish where you live now. The paperwork can be sent to your current diocese (or equivalent jurisdiction for Eastern Rite Catholics), the diocese in which you were married, or a couple of other possibilities such as where the most evidence can be gathered.

Please contact your local pastor.