Annulment, the Wedding that was


Book Description

"The question-and-answer format provides an overview of the marriage law of the [Catholic] church and its practical implications and makes difficult concepts understandable to the nonexpert."--Cover




Marriage, Divorce & Nullity


Book Description

Bishop Robinson explains God's plan for marriage and the criteria the Church follows in granting a decree of nullity.




When Is Marriage Null?


Book Description

Many marriages are “ended” by separation or divorce, but for the baptized Christian they remain valid marriages forever. There are, however, cases in which a Christian marriage can be recognized as null, i.e. it never existed. This book, written by a specialist with a gift for clarity on a complicated, sensitive issue, is a guide for a first approach to the problems related to the conditions for eventually declaring the nullity of a canonical Christian marriage. This work is an indispensable aid for the pastors of souls, for Catholic counselors, and can be very useful also for anyone who has serious questions about the validity of his own marriage. The primary purpose of this work is to provide clear, well-founded information in sufficient quantity to parish priests and to all who will act as counselors in these matters, either in formally organized parochial counseling services, or in other possible forms of collaboration with the parish priest, or else in the ecclesiastical tribunals themselves as a step previous to the possible introduction of the case. Among the areas he covers are: Violation of the freedom of consent; Error about a person; Exclusion of offspring; Exclusion of fidelity; Incapacity to consent; Incapacity to assume the essential obligations of marriage; Conditional consent.




How to Understand & Petition for Your Decree of Nullity: A Little Book with Big Help


Book Description

You CAN understand annulment. You just need a little help! You never wanted this to happen, but now you're civilly divorced. There's no such thing as Catholic divorce because in God's eyes a valid marriage can never be broken. But sometimes what looks like a marriage from the outside can be fatally flawed from the beginning. Only God can see deeply into the human heart. He knows how human frailty and weakness, and inabilities of some people to enter into marriage freely and fully despite their best attempts. After careful study of such an attempted union, the Church may be able to declare that no valid marriage bond was created. And this book will help you understand the process. Regardless of your situation, the Church is here to help and you don t have to be a priest or canon lawyer to understand the basics. This little book with big help dispels the common myths and misunderstandings about marriage, divorce, and annulments, and is helpful for: - Divorced men and women who are considering if they have grounds for an annulment - Those who need help completing their formal petition for a Decree of Nullity (annulment) - Lay or religious ministers who work with the separated and divorced - Parish priests and deacons involved in divorce ministry - Those who counsel divorced Catholics - Anyone who wants to know more about what the Church really teaches about divorce "I was afraid of the annulment process at first, but found it incredibly healing and even freeing. I learned so much about myself and was able to forgive my ex-spouse and ask for forgiveness as well." - Patty "I had no idea of what the Church really taught about marriage and divorce. I thought I did, but I was blown away when I learned the truth. Going through the annulment process actually made me hunger to know more of my Catholic faith." - Jim







Shattered Faith


Book Description

In 1993, Sheila Rauch Kennedy received a letter from the Boston Catholic Archdiocese announcing that her former husband, Congressman Joseph Kennedy, was seeking an annulment of their marriage. If the Church granted the annulment, the marriage, which had lasted twelve years, would be rendered nonexistent -- not simply ended, as was stated in the divorce decree, but invalid from the start. And their two sons would be regarded as children of an unsanctified union. Joseph Kennedy needed the annulment to remarry within the Church, and he encouraged his ex-wife to ignore the details. Stunned by the hypocrisy of the process and the betrayal of trust it involved, Sheila Rauch Kennedy was determined to defend the legitimacy of her former marriage. Shattered Faith is the fascinating chronicle of that struggle, and of what Kennedy uncovered about the uses and frequency of annulments in the United States. Interweaving her own experiences with those of other women whose trust in the Church was shattered by annulment, she tells a story that will surprise, anger, and move readers of every faith.







When Is Marriage Null? Guide to the Grounds of Matrimonial Nullity for Pastors, Counselors, Lay Faithful


Book Description

from Foreword by Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke (former prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura) "There is no doubt that Father Bianchi's book ... will be of tremen-dous benefit for those who work in the field of marriage law. ... Father Bianchi's vast experience and expertise ... are manifest in his synthetic and practical treatment of each of the grounds of the nullity of marriage." Many marriages result in divorce, but for the baptized Christian a valid marriage remains valid until the death of one of the spouses. This teaching of the Church is based on the indissoluble nature of marriage as instituted by God. There are, however, marriages between Christians that - contrary to appearances or intentions - did not in actuality take place. This book, written by a specialist with a gift for clarity on a complicated, sensitive issue, explains the grounds of matrimonial nullity. Intended for pastors and others who counsel divorced Catholics and Catholics in distressed marriages, it is a guide for helping to discern whether a particular case should be brought before a marriage tribunal. All of the grounds of nullity are covered, including the viola-tion of the freedom of consent and the incapacity to assume the essential obligations of marriage. Each chapter includes a "Guide for the Counselor", which lists the kinds of evidence that will be requested by the tribunal. REV. PAOLO BIANCHI, born in Milan, Italy, in 1954, holds a degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University and is judicial vicar for the ecclesiastical region of Lombardy. He is the author of many articles on matrimonial law.




Nullity of Marriage


Book Description