A Pastoral Letter By Bishop Galeone A Pastoral Letter By Bishop ...

Annulment has touched my life directly. As a divorced,
remarried Catholic woman, I have personally
experienced the process. As a pastoral minister, I am confronted
with this issue constantly. As a field advocate for our local
marriage tribunal, I facilitate applications for petitioners. And, as a
Catholic, I am continually asked to defend the existence of what
seems to be the most misunderstood aspect
of Catholicism.
While we have yet to come up with a
better word, annulment does not really
describe what occurs during the process.
The Catholic Church does not annul a
marriage; it only rules on the evidence of
its sacramentality between two Christians.
It is purely a Catholic theological process,
bearing no weight on the existence of the
civil marriage itself. There was a civil
marriage, though not a sacramental one.
The second most common misconception
I dispel at every opportunity is that a
declaration of nullity makes any children of
that marriage illegitimate. Since there was
in fact a civil marriage, the children are
legitimate.
We who work for the marriage tribunal
also dispel the misconception that the
annulment fee covers the purchase of a
decree from Rome. We make it clear that it
is a justice issue involving reimbursement
for expenses incurred by the process. I
have yet to meet a seeker who resents
contributing toward the salaries of those
who work for the church. Further, I cannot
imagine anyone being denied this right (it
is not a privilege) because of an inability to
pay. I like to provide as much information
as possible about the financial aspects since
there are so many stories out there about
famous people who have paid thousands
of dollars for a quick annulment, or priests
begin with the premise that all marriages are regarded as sacred,
in and out of the church.
Therefore, we treat all marriages exactly as we would a Catholic
marriage. In nearly every instance, the Protestant partner has
expressed relief at the new understanding and, out of respect for a
Catholic partner’s faith, finds no problem with going forward.
While I would hope that every
encounter with the tribunal or any other
church office would be a caring,
supportive experience, it is not the job of
the tribunal to provide pastoral care. It is
our job or responsibility to develop the
kind of pastoral relationship with seekers
that will help them understand this
process and what it will require of them.
My advocate work in the field is one of
the most powerful in my ministry
experience. When I hear the stories,
validate goodness, and answer doubts and
questions, seekers come to a new
experience of church. Often it is a deeper
connection than they experienced before
their divorce.
I am aware that there are dioceses in
which the annulment process is
impersonal and legalistic. And there are
individual priests who refuse to assist
anyone in the process, stating
unequivocally that they don’t believe in it.
Seekers have brought valid, heartbreaking
stories to our sessions about such
encounters. In these cases, and in all cases
where the wounding is deep and personal,
I invite the seeker to schedule a private
meeting where we can dignify their story
with appropriate listening and pastoral
care.
Adecision on the sacramental validity
of a marriage can be made either in the
external forum or the internal forum. Let
WHY ANNULMENTS?
Misconceptions About the Church’s Marriage-Dissolution Process
BY CARRIE KEMP
who insist on a large, up-front fee to intervene with the tribunal.
Another frequent point of contention occurs when a Protestant is
asked to go through the annulment process prior to celebrating a
sacramental marriage with a Catholic partner. When this situation
occurs, I admit to the non-Catholic that this must seem confusing,
and I apologize for the discomfort and misunderstanding. Then I
explain how Catholics understand sacaramental marriages, that we
us first explore the external forum.
If the outward appearance of the civil marriage meets the
criteria of a sacrament, the exploration must go deeper into the
relationship itself to consider sacramentality. The marriage took
place in accordance with Catholic teaching and was witnessed by a
priest. In other words, it looks like a sacrament from the outside.
These are the annulments we hear about most often.
16 St. Augustine Catholic September/October 2004