My 101 Reasons for Leaving the Catholic Church:
Annulments
What it is: Also known as a "decree of nullity," an annulment is a declaration by the authority of the Catholic Church that a marriage was invalid from the beginning. Therefore, from a spiritual standpoint, the marriage never took place. There are two types of annulments: "lack of form" and "formal." If the divorced Catholic was not married in the Catholic Church (e.g. it was performed by a justice of the peace, or a non-Catholic minister), an annulment is easily available, since the original marriage was "lacking in form." (Marriage is considered one of seven sacraments in the Catholic Church). In other cases, a formal annulment is required. The following are among the valid reasons for a formal annulment: Immaturity at the time of the marriage, emotional health, disparity in intent to bear children, coercion as a result of an unintended pregnancy, lack of true marital commitment, desertion by the spouse, latent homosexual tendencies, and intent to commit adultery. The process of the annulment begins with the petitioner completing an extensive questionnaire. The family life of the couple prior to marriage (including the life of the couple’s parents), the courtship, and the marriage itself are investigated. Often psychological testing is utilized. Also, witnesses are contacted to confirm facts and provide additional information. The cost of the annulment is typically in the range of $500 to $800, and takes up to a year to conclude. The investigation by the Church is usually carried out by a marriage tribunal under the leadership of the bishop. If a Catholic divorces and does not apply for a church annulment, they are prohibited from remarrying. If they do remarry, they are prohibited from receiving the sacrament of communion. However, they are still considered as part of the Catholic Church, and are encouraged to participate in other aspects of Church life, and to raise their children in the Catholic faith. According to Vatican statistics, about four out of five people in the U.S. who apply for Catholic annulments receive them. In 2002, there were about 256,000 Catholic marriages and 50,000 annulments.
How it came about: Annulment must not be confused with divorce. Divorce is the secular dissolution of a marriage. Annulment presupposes that there has been no true marriage. In Catholic teaching, a valid Catholic marriage cannot be dissolved other than by death. This is based on Jesus teaching in the gospels "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus raised marriage to the level of a sacrament. An important element of a sacrament is that the grace that is produced is the result of, and through, the very sacrament. Thus, if the proper ceremony of marriage is missing, the Catholic is not ultimately bound by the marriage vows. The formal declaration of marriage as a sacrament occurred at the COUNCIL OF TRENT. However, it is claimed that marriage as a sacrament was taught throughout early church history. In the early centuries of the church, marriages were annulled by a summary decision of the bishops based on the private claim of invalidity. Beginning in the twelfth century, Pope Innocent III and Pope Alexander III declared that marriage could only be annulled by reason of investigation by the Church and due process. It should be noted that the children from a marriage that never occurred are not deemed to be illegitimate. Why it is wrong: 1) ...because the Church separates what God has joined together based upon the fiction that the marriage never took place; 2) ...because it has the effect turning sin into a psychological disorder; 3) ...because it is based on a faulty understanding of marriage as a sacrament that invalidates otherwise valid marriages; 4) ...because it denies the reality of the children from the annulled marriage. 5) ...because it places the remarried Catholic into the untenable position of either entering into the fiction of annulment or being denied the ultimate source of grace in the Catholic Church. Warnings from Scripture: "Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Matt. 19:6 "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Matt. 5:31 "For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning her husband." Rom 7:2 "But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not send his wife away. 1 Cor. 7:10-11
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