|
 Catholic Questions and Answers -
Marriage, Divorce & Annulments
This section covers some of most frequently asked questions (FAQ) that we receive here at The Crossroads Initiative about Marriage, Divorce and Annulments. If you have any questions you can check this page frequently for more Catholic Q & A. We are adding new Questions and Answers every week. Please select the topic that you have questions about. If you don't find an answer to your question, feel free to contact us and Dr. D'Ambrosio will try to answer.
Q -Dr. D’Ambrosio,
Correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know you have to get the divorce before you get the annulment don't you? Darryl
A - Hi Darryl,
A qualified yes. A couple must obtain a legal divorce, which essentially means that the legal union is dissolved in the sight of the state and a division of property is settled (plus custody issues regarding children).
The Church does not recognize this as dissolving the actual marriage bond, however. The state has no power and authority to do that!
Best wishes,
Marcellino D’Ambrosio
Q -Dear Marcellino,
I am a deacon and was Family Life Director in a diocese for 12 years. The truth is that just about anybody can be married in most dioceses of the Catholic Church in the United States, regardless of their readiness for marriage. It is also true that in most dioceses, the granting of annulments is virtually a foregone conclusion. I have been told by members of one tribunal that the process is seen primarily as one of reconciliation with the Church. To quote one member, “It’s very loose right now. If they tighten it up eventually, that’s okay, but right now it’s very loose.” Clergy have been told what to say and what not to say in order to secure a declaration of nullity. My point is that the defenses offered for the annulment process do not match up with the reality in most dioceses. It’s a subject about which there is little honesty or willingness to address in a forthright way. For one who passionately believes in sacramental marriage, the whole situation is a source of intense pain and frustration, one which leads to scandal after scandal.
Deacon Tim S.
A - Dear Deacon Tim,
I fully understand your frustration and pain over the poor judgment of many involved in this process. My comments in the article are not an evaluation of how well the church’s teaching is being implemented in various tribunals and dioceses, but on the nature and meaning of that teaching.
In the midst of a culture or relativism and excuses, lets’ pray and work together for a restoration of permanence and holiness of marriage.
Yours in his service,
Marcellino D’Ambrosio
Q -My family was Catholic until my parents divorced when I was 7 and my mom's priest gave her two options... 1: Never receive communion again because she was divorced, but my brother and I would still be in good standing with the church... or 2: Have her 16 year marriage annulled, thus making my brother and I bastards in the eyes of the Church...
Why?
A - First of all, divorce does not invalidate the divorced spouses from receiving communion; only remarriage outside the Church does this. Secondly, annulment does not mean that the children born of the marriage judged to have been null are illegitimate in the eyes of the Church or the government. It means that despite a legal ceremony presumably entered into in good faith by one or both of the parties, something essential was lacking to make the spiritual marriage bond happen which is why the marriage fell apart. So it means that the divorced spouses are single in eyes of the Church and free to remarry sacramentally.
The misunderstanding could have resulted from poor understanding or communication on the priest’s part or misunderstanding on the mom’s part. The Q & A book by Dr. Ed Peters on Divorce and Annulment in the Catholic Church is the best single resource I know to answer questions and clear up the misunderstandings that are so common in this area.
Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D.
For more Catholic resources to feed your faith, visit the Crossroads Initiative Homepage.
To sign up for our free weekly e-mail with Dr. D'Ambrosio's commentary on the Sunday readings, liturgical feasts, updates on where Dr. D will be speaking, a chance to WIN a FREE CD and MORE, CLICK HERE!
.jpg) |
Love that Lasts: A Vision for Christian Marriage - 3 CD
“Love that Lasts: A Vision for Christian Marriage” is the fruit of years of both study and experience. Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio is an internationally known Catholic speaker, author, and media personality. But he is also a husband and father of five children who illustrates his teaching with an abundance of practical tips and humorous examples from his own family life. This trilogy of talks, originally given as a marriage retreat at the world famous Cooper Clinic in Dallas, is a perfect gift for engaged couples and newlyweds seeking to lay a solid foundation for the marriage and family. But it is also a superb tool to help refresh and renew married couples who have been together for many years. |
| 
