In a November 25 address to participants in a course on annulment procedures, sponsored by the Roman Rota, Pope Francis said that the new streamlined procedure for annulments in special cases should “typically be concluded in one session.”
The Pope stressed that these cases can only be decided by a diocesan bishop. “The streamlined process is not an option that the diocesan bishop can choose,” he said, “but rather an obligation that derives from his consecration and from the missio received. In these cases, the Pontiff explained, the bishop himself should hear the “absolute evidence of the facts proving the alleged nullity of the marriage, as well as the consent of both spouses.”
Pope Francis introduced the streamlined annulment procedure in September 2015, to allow for quick handling of cases in which the argument for the nullity of a marriage is clear and convincing. Although he unveiled the change before the first of two meetings of the Synod of Bishops devoted to marriage, he said that the canonical changes that he instituted were the result of synodal government of the universal Church. “These two acts,” he said, referring to his September 2015 decrees, “have arisen from a synodal context, they are the expression of a synodal method, and they are the arrival point of a serious synodal path.”
Full story at Catholic Culture.
With a streamlined and free Church annulment process put into action, the Pope should be completely satisfied, in the future– regrding the question of Holy Commuion for those divorced, and re-married, with no Church annulments. Now, Pope Francis should be at peace, on ths issue! All Catholics must honor the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony— and receive the Sacrament of Holy Comunion properly, with great repect for God!!
The Pope now should have no reason in the world, to want to play “Henry VIII” and break Church rules on the sacraments, feeling as though the Catholics who are civilly divorced and remarried, without Church annulments, have all been treated unfairly! They now should have all they need, to rectify their situations, before God!
In the former process in San Diego, the spouse petitioning the annulment, the ex, filled out an extensive questionnaire, got 4 witnesses to give their testimony, reports from counselors or psychologists. The testimony was evaluated, and if a judgment for annulment reached, it was sent to a second court for affirmation. If both courts said yes, the annulment was granted. The second court has been abrogated in the new process. In all the cases I assisted in preparing and submitted, there were significant grounds according to canon law that no real marriage bond was present. They were all granted. If there were not grounds, I told the petitioner who could go elsewhere. It was not simply divorce Catholic style.
This ought to speed thr process of declaring illegitimate children. Wonder what next anti-Catholic/heretical actions is due next? And our great-great- . . . grandparents thought the excommunicated Luther pushed for to many (99) counter-catholic heresies.
The children are NOT illegitimate. They were born into a legal marriage certified by the state.
What seems really strange to me, is that Martin Luther, an ex-priest, married an ex-nun– and it was an arranged marriage– the pair were not in love! — The two hardly knew each other, the nun had run away from her convent, with a small group of fleeing nuns– and Luther helped them find places to live, as new Protestant lay women– and helped them also to find men to marry. Luther and one of the nuns made a hasty agreement for an arranged marriage, as she needed a home, and Luther wanted a wife! They got married, settled down on a farm, and raised a family. To Luther– was that how a true “Christian” marriage should be?? Better than our Church?
Annulments existed long before Vatican II. There are simple and clear cut cases, such as one person was not of age or a person has an undisclosed prior marriage (or current marriage.) Or being kidnapped and having to marry the person against your will in order to get home.
Why don’t the liberal and progressive V2 members see the errors and misleading going on by Francis and the magesterium.. Why can’t they see to connect the dots?
Elizabeth,
Based on my understanding, an annullment means a man and woman couple were never officially married to begin with unlike a divorce, so in the eyes of the V2 Church, how can the children not be illegitimate when the couple truly weren’t married, just living and sleeping together?
The people are married and considered married by the Church until an annulment. An annulment means there was some defect so that the sacrament was not valid. The children are not illegitimate because the people were legally married.
Elizabeth,
From a state perspective if the V2 Church denies the marriage by an annulment, then the man and woman couple aren’t married and there is no need for a divorce. Afterall isn’t the divorce what the broken couple is trying to get around of so they can freely marry another person in the V2 Church?
The Church will not even consider annulment unless a person is legally divorced.
I believe that an annulment runs only to the status of the ‘marriage’ in the eyes of the Church. I believe the couple still needs a civil divorce if the secular authorities consider the first marriage valid. Bigamy anyone?