A Hard Look at Annulment Data Raises Questions About the Process
January 18, 2024
In the past 60 years, annulment rates have skyrocketed in the U.S. Meanwhile, marriage rates are down. What’s up with that? Is the marriage annulment process breaking down our understanding of the sanctity of marriage?
In today’s episode, John Clark discusses his new book Betrayed Without a Kiss: Defending Marriage After Years of Failed Leadership in the Church. He discusses the current crisis in America, specifically regarding the Catholic annulment process.
Listen now, as we dive into questions including: what is annulment vs. divorce? How should the Church defend the sanctity of marriage? Is the marriage annulment process the problem? Or do we need better Catholic marriage preparation?
I am in the same boat. Mine was denied and my former spouse remarried. She is living a great life and I am here alone. The only thing the church does when it declines giving annulments is alienate the people it should be bringing closer to it. how is that mercy? it’s not showing the love of God. It’s an arbitrary decision by human beings. If I lived in a different and more liberal diocese it would likely have been granted. now the church is just pushing me away.
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Unless of course he can’t get an annulment. Then he must be stuck alone the rest of his life.
My husband left me for another woman. There was nothing I could do about it. I had no choice. Like John said, we wasted a ton of money, which I could have used to take care of my kids. We then split custody of the children, and this woman got to see my children as much as I did. It filled me with mental anguish. I tried for an annulment. It was denied. Twice. He has remarried (and still receives communion) and I am now alone and not able to get married. Or I have to give up the Eucharist. I know that marriage in this country is in a terrible state, but I think that the Church should allow annulments in cases like mine. Am I just supposed to live the rest of my life alone? I know life is not fair. But it’s not fair.