One of the sad realities of our time is that 50-60% of all
couples getting married today will get divorced. Even more
sad is the fact that the percentages are not significantly
different for Catholics than for non-Catholics. Catholics
who have been validly married in the Church and get
divorced are not free to marry again and if they do they put
themselves outside of the Sacraments, (except in danger of
death).
A Catholic who finds himself in such a situation may
apply for an annulment to see if his marriage was in fact
valid. An ecclesiastical annulment is not a “Catholic
divorce” but rather an inquiry to determine whether or not
all that Church requires for the sacramental of matrimony to
take place was, in truth, in place, or if something crucial
was missing that rendered the marriage null from the very
start. If that can be proved then the annulment is granted
and the person is generally free to marry again, (although
sometimes an ecclesiastical penalty may apply).
Otherwise the marriage stands and the parties continue to
be bound by Church Law.
This process takes place at the diocesan Tribunal which
is largely funded by the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal. Although
the officials of the Tribunal – judges, advocates and
notaries – are generally priests who work free of charge,
there are still the costs involved in the running of the office
– salaries for secretaries, the cost of paper, equipment and
utilities. Some of this is covered by the fees involved but
not much. The fee for a formal case is currently $750. At
best, in a straight forward case in which a decision is easily
reached, that fee covers only 50% or less of the actual
cost. (And from my experience of working for the Tribunal
very few cases are straight forward). Some people
mistakenly believe that a large donation to the Tribunal will
“facilitate” the process. This is absolutely false, although in
cases of true financial need the fee may be somewhat
reduced, not one cent in excess of the stated fee is
accepted. This helps to guarantee the integrity of the
process and no one can think that they might be able, in
any way, to “buy” an annulment. In fact the marriage in
question always has the benefit of the doubt when a case
for nullity cannot be clearly demonstrated.
Still many annulments are granted even under the
stringent procedures of the Diocese of Arlington. Not
always do people seek an annulment to be able to remarry
in the Church. Often the annulment process is a means of
finding true closure to a very difficult and painful experience
of Life. By funding The Bishop’s Lenten Appeal we can
help people move on from an unfortunate attempt at
marriage and rebuild their lives.