Church Annulment

Winterglow

I am looking for any advice on Church Annulment ,I have got a divorce which I know has no standing in the eyes of the Church ,brief history ,(I am not here to be judged-God can do that for himself when the time comes) ,I had 2 children outside of wedlock,1 of my parents got a terminal diagnosis and had always said 'they would love to see me get married' I then married the childrens father within a year,had been together years ,I am not here to blame or judge but our marriage ended solely as a result of his drinking and alcohol dependency ,it was always a problem but became massive once married,I now want to get an Annulment on the grounds that he had not the pshyological capacity to enter into the Marriage or to be in a marital relationship.The Marriage was over before it began ,there was no honeymoon,no children born from the marriage etc,.we remained in the same house''to save face'' until some years later ,we are both from very well respected families ,he became very abusive and I had to leave with the children ,I would have brought him to many doctors,hospitals,alcohol counselling etc I am looking for any guidance ,I have spoken with Parish priest and Diosean Office but it is all very vague .I want a Church Annulment as I wish to get Married in the Church in the future and would prefer to not have a Civil ceremony and be seen Adulterous ,any help would be appreciated

galwaydoc

..Double post

galwaydoc

Hi Winterglow

You need to apply to your relevant Regional Marriage Tribunal.

Here is the link for the information from the Cork and Ross diocese, but your own diocese should have a similar webpage:

https://corkandross.org/annulments/

You need to write a simple letter to the tribunal as outlined on the webpage to get started.

Best of luck.

Winterglow

Thank you for your reply ,I have no idea how its a double post as I have only posted this once on boards to the best of my knowledge ,Thanks for the info I have already been in touch with my Diocesan office but its help with my petition for the Tribunal I really need it will be more than a simple letter that is needed

galwaydoc

Sorry Winterglow, it was actually me who double posted, so that was just a clean-up I did.

The website says:

"If you wish to apply for a decree of nullity, and you currently live in one of the dioceses served by the Cork Regional Marriage Tribunal, write the following to the tribunal:

I wish to apply for a Decree of Nullity of my marriage to ___________________

Name __________________________

Address __________________________

Telephone Number _____________________

Signed ___________________ Date __________________"

So, if you can find out which Regional Marriage Tribunal serves your area, you can get the ball rolling by sending them the above letter.

I understand they will look for more information, but it looks as though that letter serves as your initial application for an annullment.

Mrs OBumble

Find a senior priest in the diocese who knows you, likes your family and is politically savvy.

Ask him to help guide you through the process. Do not even submit the initial application without his advice about how to word things.

It shouldn't be this way, but who you know is as important as what happened.

Also, be prepared for the process to cost a bit.

Peregrinus

It typically costs much less than a civil divorce.

But it is a legal process, and you will need - or at least, will benefit from - the support of a canon lawyer in navigating your way through the process. The regional marriage tribunal may be able to put you in touch with one.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118505561#Comment_118505561

There is no such thing as a ‘senior priest’ nor has it anything to do with politics or who you know. It is a factual matter of Canon Law.

Packrat

You will need co-operation from your ex-husband on this as both your statements and "evidence" should match.

There are "grounds" as I'm sure you already know, and your situation must fit in one of these neat pre-prepared 'boxes'

You need to have your friends - (witnesses who will have to write their account of the marriage) prepared although you may not "coach" them. (Everybody does though I'd imagine because what they say about the marriage is important)

Most important is convincing your ex that this is something which matters to you and that he must be on-board with it for it to work.

Its been a long time, but if you have any other questions, ask and I'll try to remember.