Pope Francis Announces Changes for Easier Marriage Annulments Tuesday Sep 08,2015

 

Pope Francis announced new Procedures on Tuesday Sep 08,2015 to make it easier for Roman Catholics to obtain marriage annulments, a move intended to streamline a process long criticized by many Catholics as too cumbersome, complicated and expensive.

The new rules take effect on Dec 08,2015 and are expected to speed up cases in which neither spouse is contesting the annulment

These fast-track cases may be heard as soon as 30 days after a couple files an application, and at most within 45 days.

The new procedures also eliminate one of the two church trials that are required of all couples seeking an annulment, a process that can drag on for years, at great cost.

“To ensure that a case doesn’t sleep, tribunals and judges will have to sleep a little less,” said Msgr. Alejandro W. Bunge, secretary of the commission that drafted the changes

Pope Francis’ announcement on Tuesday — outlined in two papal documents and coming after he appointed a special commission on the subject a year ago — was framed as an effort to fix inefficiencies in the annulment procedure and not as an endorsement of divorce.

Divorce is a topic that has long splintered many of the Catholic faithful from the church

 Under church law, marriage is indissoluble, divorce is not recognized, and any Catholic who remarries without annulling a first marriage is committing adultery 

Currently, the process begins when a spouse, usually assisted by a lawyer, petitions for an annulment. The other spouse is contacted by a tribunal of clergymen; the spouse may cooperate, but that is not essential

Evidence is presented, witnesses testify, and then an advocate for the church, known as the defender of the bond, examines the evidence and argues that the marriage should not be dissolved

The tribunal issues a judgment that must be confirmed in another trial before an annulment can be granted.

More than half of the annulments granted by the church worldwide go to Catholics in the United States But even in the United States, the process can be arduous, requiring testimony and documentation, and can take more than a year

Tribunals in some dioceses are overloaded with cases

The cost, up to $1,000, can also be prohibitive, though waivers are available for those who cannot pay, and some American dioceses have dropped the fees entirely in recent years.