Posted on 01/24/2014 7:00:14 PM PST by ebb tide
Addressing the Vatican court primarily responsible for hearing requests for marriage annulments, Pope Francis said judges on church tribunals should show “imperturbable and impartial balance” as well as the “delicacy and humanity proper to a pastor of souls.”
The Pope made his remarks today to officials of the Roman Rota at a meeting to inaugurate the tribunal’s judicial year.
“You are essentially pastors,” he told the officials. “As you carry out your judicial work, do not forget that you are pastors. Behind every file, every position, every case, there are persons who wait for justice.”
Pope Francis has said that church law on marriage is a topic that exemplifies a general need for mercy in the Church today, and that it will be among the subjects of discussion at this October’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the “pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.”
In his speech to the Rota, the Pope said a judge on a Church tribunal must sympathise with the “mentality and legitimate aspirations” of the community he serves, and thus render “justice that is not legalistic and abstract, but appropriate to the needs of concrete reality.”
Such a judge “will not be content with superficial knowledge of the reality of the persons who await his judgment, but will recognize the need to understand deeply the situations of the parties,” the Pope said.
“The legal dimension and the pastoral dimension of ecclesial ministry are not in conflict,” Pope Francis said. “The church’s legal activity, which takes the form of service to the truth in justice, has in fact a profoundly pastoral meaning, because it is aimed at the good of the faithful and of the edification of the Christian community.”
All it takes is a little grease on the right ecclesiastical palm.
From a physician I know whomI trust.
I read that too.
Looks like you can get them cheaper in Arlington:
“The processing of a formal case generally generates costs of approximately $1200. It is expected that the person seeking an annulment will assist the Tribunal in partially meeting its administrative costs through a fee of $750.”
http://www.arlingtondiocese.org/tribunal/faq.aspx#Cost
Providence the base fee is $500. New York is $1000.
And, of course, if it goes to the Vatican, “ where the amount of the fee is determined.” per New York.
Of course, that doesn’t include the canon lawyers.
If there isn’t one out there, there is probably a market for a website listing the various prices with reviews as to how easy (or hard) it is in each jurisdiction.
If a marriage is invalid it is invalid.
Period.
It does not matter if the Church has a formal hearing on the matter or not, it is still not valid.
Good Catholics should be concerned about remarriage if “God has joined” them in a previous marriage.
However, if the previous marriage was not valid it really is not the business of ANYONE but the two involved in that marriage. And the Church, TOO, of course, if either member of that invalid marriage wishes to confirm their own views.
Those of you who obsess over this issue are in violation of a Commandment yourselves, if you pass judgment on others over matters you know nothing about. You do not know the hearts or the mental states of those involved.
I never understood the whole concept....
You were married, but not really because:
1) they lied about something
2) they weren’t really Catholic
3) you weren’t really Catholic
4) whoever married you didn’t realize there was a Catholic “glitch”
5) You changed your mind, but have sufficient funds to assuage
your foolishness.
So, then, it never really happened and all is cool and you don’t have to kill anyone now.
So, who does determine the validity of a marriage?
It depends if it was void ab initio or merely voidable. If it wasn't void from the outset, then there are civil as well as ecclesiastical implications to the marital state.
Those of you who obsess over this issue are in violation of a Commandment yourselves, if you pass judgment on others
Well, I haven't checked in on this thread in a while, but I didn't see any of that going on when I was last here. But as a matter of curiosity, what commandment are you referring to?
You do not know the hearts or the mental states of those involved.
No, and it isn't my concern. That's why the validity of the dissolution of the marriage should be in the hands of the Presbuteros.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles charges something like $500.00, and the fee is reduced upon request in cases of financial hardship.
“
So, who does determine the validity of a marriage?”
Simple, it has to be free and open and a contract entered into by mature, consenting people with no outside pressures or motives.
God must be involved.
The couple often knows that God did NOT join them. That is a matter of conscience and the formal Tribunals even place great weight on personal conscience decisions about validity.
As to canon lawyers, you do not need one in the archdiocese of Los Angeles. An “advocate” is appointed for the petitioner and the respondent, without extra charge. You could hire somebody else, I guess, but why? The advocates in the Marriage Tribunal office are by far the most familiar with what facts and arguments are successful.
Well, I haven’t checked in on this thread in a while, but I didn’t see any of that going on when I was last here. But as a matter of curiosity, what commandment are you referring to? “
“Thou shall not bear false witness”
Who witnesses said contract? And who can void said contract?
What you're stating reminds me of free love at Woodstock.
By the way, the "maturity" cop-out has now become a very popular reason many annulments are granted, even if the couples were in their 30's when they got married.
What is considered "successful"? The validation of the sacrament of marriage or an annulment of that marriage?
Well, the petitioner would consider it successful if the annulment is granted. Also, please note that there is a pre-screening done at the parish level with the pastor. A lot of people who would have filed a petition are told that they would not have adequate grounds for annulment and the petition never gets submitted.
It reminds me of the district attorney’s office. While it is true that a suspect is innocent until proven guilty, a DA does not usually waste time and money on a weak case with little chance of obtaining a conviction, as resources are scarce.
I would also note that until pastors start taking the bull by the horns and properly preparing couples for marriage, a lot of mercy is going to be needed in granting annulments. If a pastor looks the other way as couples cohabit and live like people who have no religion, you can expect that there will be many ceremonies at which God is not really invited, despite the trappings of religiosity. I hope that what Pope Francis is saying is that pastors are going to be getting a lot more picky and making couples understand the commitment they are making and having them practice self-sacrifice and delayed gratification before they take the plunge.
“why is there a “fee” of several thousands for the annullment..Never understood that one.”
You think money just grows on trees in heaven? Stuff costs money. Think of the administrative costs, the fee for the attorney Saint who acts as the middle-man between the Catholic church on Earth and one of the lower level bureaucrats in heaven. And the angels are unionized, you know.
Annulment = Church sanctioned divorce.
How much are your chances of getting an annulment increased if you have a well-connected lawyer?
Right now, a large majority of those who apply for an annulment, get them. But, the number of people who apply for annulments is pretty darn low. And the process isn't a quick nor easy one.
Pope Francis is absolutely right it is a balance between a legal and pastoral approach. To continue to dismiss the HUGE population of divorced Catholics because self-righteous pricks think all divorces were just easy ways to get out is NOT Catholic nor Christian.
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