What are examples of grounds for Catholic annulment?
Asked by: Dr. Janae Willms | Last update: November 2, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (44 votes)
If, at the time of the marriage ceremony, one or both parties lack the capacity, either due to mental illness, intoxication, age, or coercion, an annulment can be processed.
What are valid reasons for a Catholic annulment?
These reasons may include fraud, mental incapacity, failure to consummate the marriage, or the concealment of vital information from either party before the wedding took place. Other than this, an annulment may also be sought when one of the parties is not following the teachings of the Catholic Church.
What is the most acceptable ground for annulment?
- You were under 18 at the time of the marriage.
- You were tricked into the marriage (fraud)
- You didn't have the mental capacity to marry (unsound mind)
- One of you is physically unable to consummate marriage.
- One of you is still married to someone who you thought was dead, but isn't.
How hard is it to get a Catholic annulment?
- A Catholic annulment is not easy to get under any circumstance.
- Even a slam-dunk like having gotten married in a civil ceremony instead of a Catholic ceremony takes time.
- And having gotten a civil divorce prior to applying for the annulment is, I'm pretty sure, a prerequisite.
How often are Catholic annulments denied?
Now, according to Vatican figures, about 50,000 annulments are granted annually by U.S. tribunals _ more than two-thirds of all annulments worldwide _ and less than 10 percent of annulment applications are denied.
The Catholic annulment: What is it like to go through, when you are converting?
Why would an annulment be denied?
At the time of the marriage, either party was already legally married. At the time of the marriage, either party was ruled incapacitated, incapable of making the decision to marry. At the time of the marriage, either spouse was a minor and did not have parental or court permission to marry.
Are cheating grounds for Catholic annulment?
Wondering whether you can get a Catholic annulment after you've discovered your spouse has committed adultery is a common reaction. However, in most cases, adultery does not serve as grounds for a Catholic annulment in a marriage. A Catholic annulment completely nullifies your marriage, almost as if it never existed.
Can a Catholic remarry without an annulment?
The Catholic Church teaches that marriages are unbreakable unions, and thus remarrying after a divorce (without an annulment) is a sin.
What percentage of Catholic annulments are granted?
The short answer is perhaps between 80–90%. The long answer is more complicated. According to Pew Research, 26% of all divorced Catholics in the US have sought an annulment.
Do both parties have to agree to an annulment?
You don't need the agreement of both parties for an annulment to happen, but you do need persuasive evidence to prove to the courts why your marriage should be declared null and void.
How do you prove annulment?
The only way to obtain a civil annulment that legally dissolves your marriage is by proving one of the grounds established by state law. These often include fraud or misrepresentation, lack of consummation, incest, bigamy, lack of consent, unsound mind, or force.
What invalidates a Catholic marriage?
the person intends the marriage to be something contrary to God's law about marriage; or. the person is psychologically incapable of fulfilling the obligations of marriage.
Which of the following is not grounds for an annulment?
Many divorcing couples wish they had never married in the first place, but regret is not a valid reason to seek an annulment in California.
What are the 12 impediments of marriage in the Catholic Church?
Canon Law lists the following impedient impediments:" the simple vows of: virginity, perfect chastity, not marrying, entering Sacred Orders, or embracing the Religious state; relationship arising out of legal adoption in those countries where such relationship renders marriage unlawful but not invalid; difference in ...
What are the most common grounds for annulment?
Legal Grounds for Annulment
One party is legally unable to get married because they're already married to someone else. The parties are too closely related by blood to legally get married under state law. One party is underage and did not have parental consent to enter into the marriage.
How much does a Catholic marriage annulment cost?
The fees for the annulment investigation are typically set by the diocese. In many places, there is no fee. In others, the fee is a few hundred dollars and only helps defray the actual cost of an individual's case. However, an annulment isn't going to be denied if the petitioner cannot afford the fees.
What justifies a Catholic annulment?
Common Reasons for an Annulment
So, for example, if one of the partners is infertile, whether they learned of it before or after the wedding took place, the union could be considered non-sacramental. Another common example is infidelity.
Why do annulments get denied?
Procedural Errors: Failing to follow the correct legal procedures, submitting incomplete documents, or lacking proper evidence to support the claim can lead to a denial of the annulment petition.
What are the two common grounds for annulment Catholic?
Some common grounds for annulment requests include that a petitioner never intended to be permanently married or faithful, and that mental illness or substance abuse prevented them from consenting to a lifelong marriage.
Is cheating grounds for Catholic annulment?
Many applicants believe that if there has been infidelity in the marriage, this will au- tomatically prove that the marriage was inva- lid. This is not correct. Infidelity is a sin, but it does not in itself invalidate the consent that was given at the time of the wedding.
Can a divorced Catholic receive Communion without an annulment?
Divorced people are full members of the Church and are encouraged to participate in its activities. May a divorced Catholic receive Holy Communion? Yes. Divorced Catholics in good standing with the Church, who have not remarried or who have remarried following an annulment, may receive the sacraments.
How hard is it to get a marriage annulled in the Catholic Church?
All that is required are witnesses and a written testimony as to what element was missing at the time of your marriage. In truth, a Catholic annulment is infinitely easier than a civil divorce, which usually results in less acrimony amongst the parties.
What nullifies a Catholic marriage?
Both Spouses Had the Intention to Marry for Life
If one of the spouses did not intend the marriage to last, was unfaithful, or did not want to have children, this may be grounds for an annulment in the Church.
What is the pauline exception?
Defining Pauline Privilege. 1 Corinthians 7:12-14a, 15-16. If a Christian has an unbaptized wife, and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her; and a woman who has an unbaptized husband willing to live with her must not divorce her husband.
Can a Catholic remarry if she has gone through a divorce and an annulment?
A bishop or other church official presides over the judicial process. They decide whether the divorce is deserving of a declaration of nullity. If so, the divorced person is free to remarry in the Catholic church.