What Constitutes a Catholic Marriage Annulment?

The Catholic Church has many rules when it pertains to marriage. It also has various ways of helping people to deal with marriages when there is a problem. Counseling is one way that is often suggested to both parties in order to try to work things out between them. When this doesn't work, and there is legitimate reason as defined by the Church, a marriage may end in annulment. This means that as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the marriage never existed at all.

Consummation

A marriage may be considered for an annulment by the Catholic Church if there has been no consummation. This means that if either party is unable to, shows no interest in, or even refuses to consummate the marriage, the other party may seek an end to the marriage by annulment.

Bigamy and Incest

The Catholic Church looks very unfavorably on marriages to more than one partner at a time. This is called bigamy and it is also against the law. Incest is another marital situation which the Catholic Church rejects. Incest, in marital terms, usually means marriage to a close relative. This situation is also illegal as well as grounds for an annulment.

Duress

A marriage entered into by a party under duress can be grounds for annulment by the Catholic Church. Duress may include being lied to about a pregnancy, a deception told by either party, or inappropriate conditions being placed on the marriage.

False Intent

When a marriage occurs with any intent other than what the Catholic Church has defined a marriage to be about, the marriage may be annulled. This false intent includes, but is not limited to, immigration status, or to give a child the father's name.

Mental Illness

If a person has a mental illness and is unable to understand what they are doing or are not capable of fulfilling the contract of marriage, an annulment may be sought. This would apply to not only the person with the mental illness but also their spouse.

Remarriage

When a person of the Catholic faith wishes to remarry in a Catholic Church after previously getting a divorce, an annulment for the first marriage is needed. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, a marriage should last until death. Remarriage without an annulment first would be considered adultery under the rules of the Catholic Church.

Unfaithful

When one spouse is habitually unfaithful to the other spouse, an annulment can be applied for with the Catholic Church. Since marriage is usually defined as forsaking all others, infidelity is breaking with that agreement.