Pope Francis announces marriage annulment changes

Pope Francis announced a faster procedure for people seeking a marriage annulment from the Catholic church Tuesday.

In the Catholic church, there is no divorce. The faithful are considered married to their first spouse until death and cannot remarry in the church. They can however, remarry if they attain an annulment.

“An annulment in the church means you are annulled from the vows you took at your marriage,” Father Bill Carmody said. “It doesn’t mean the marriage never happened, the marriage happened. It was a marriage, but it was not a sacramental marriage. And because it was not a sacramental marriage, it can be annulled and they are free to marry again, but there have to be legitimate grounds.”

Pope Francis announced Tuesday a briefer, more accessible process. Currently, once a couple is granted an annulment, it automatically goes through a second review, an appeal. The automatic appeal will no longer take place.

“I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s definitely a move forward,” said Mary Ellen Hinkle, a local Catholic woman. “I think that if we want to grow as a church and keep strong as a church, we need to be welcoming to people.”

Hinkle applied for an annulment eight years ago, to be able to marry her current husband through the church. Her application was denied after three years of review. In the last five years, she has been waiting for the response from the appeal. In the meantime, she’s not allowed to receive Communion or take on certain roles in the church.

“You feel (like a) second-class citizen, like you want to sit in the back row, like you don’t belong,” she said.

Carmody said the Pope’s announcement is meant to change that.

“He wants everyone to feel welcome in the church, regardless of the mistakes,” he said. “He’s trying to recognize we’re all sinners, we all make mistakes, but we’re all welcome at the table of the Lord.”