Why does the annulment process take so long? What is the difference between an annulment and a divorce?
There are whole books written about each of these subjects, and still there is more confusion than understanding. A divorce ends the legal contract of marriage between a man and a woman. An annulment, on the other hand, is given by the church and declares that from the beginning of the marriage something was either present or absent that prevented the sacramental bond from taking place. People mistakenly think that an annulment means they never loved the person, or that the marriage never took place.
It is easier to enter the contract of marriage than the sacrament. The sacrament requires much more, including freedom to marry, intention, knowledge and ability to fulfill the obligations of marriage. If a person does not have the intentions of permanence, fidelity or children, or does not have the ability to fulfill these obligations, or lacks the freedom or maturity to enter into marriage, the sacrament does not take place. One still enters the contract of marriage, called a putative marriage in church law, but it is not a sacrament. Annulments are the way the church defines and protects the sacrament so it is not reduced to a simple ceremony or equated with civil contracts.
©2009 Liturgical Publications Inc
For more information on the Annulment process:
http://www.fargodiocese.org/departments/tribunal/index.htm
Used with permission
