What is an Annulment?
Marriages are to be performed legally and validly. Legally means the marriage
is properly performed according to civil and religious regulations. Validly
means that when the people marry,
their intentions, their understanding of marriage, and their ability to
enter marriage are sufficient.
In the Catholic Church for one to marry validly one must have the intention
to enter a permanent, faithful union that is open to the possibility of
children. In the Catholic Church marriage is understood to be a community
of life for a man and a woman, for their mutual, interpersonal growth and
for the procreation and education of children.
Finally, one must have the basic physical, emotional, and psychological
ability to understand the intentions and meaning of marriage and to intend
and fulfill them.
For all marriages, this validity is presumed. The Catholic Church cannot
end or break a valid marriage bond between two baptized persons. The Church
can examine the presumed valid marriage to see if the validity that is presumed
really existed and can do this only if one of the spouses asks for it to
happen.
This procedure is what the Annulment process is all about.
The Church cannot refuse to investigate the validity of a marriage once
one of the spouses has challenged it. This investigation does not mean that
the case is proven, only that the marriage has to be investigated.
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