Suggested Reforms

Regarding the annulment process, SOS requests the following to the Vatican Rota:

1. Tribunals must acknowledge the very negative effects which the annulment process foists on children. Tribunals should take more care not to harm the children of Respondents.
SOS believes that the Vatican Rota does not want children harmed, and so should aggressively reprimand local US tribunals when devastation to the children of annulment occurs. Children often are devastated when US tribunals treat the Respondent-parent with disrespect and in many cases, abuse; this extends emotionally to the children. This travesty by local tribunals must be brought out into the 'light' so that it can be addressed and stopped by the Vatican.

2. Tribunals must recognize that most Respondents are genuinely sincere members of the Church who respect their sacrament, whereas petitioners are those who clearly do not value their sacrament.

3. Tribunals should ensure that every seminarian and canon law student meets with and listens to Respondents' experiences.

4. Tribunals would do well to consider that they are fostering divorce by making annulment so easily attainable. They are advocating a form of 'Catholic divorce' which often causes more emotional harm to the individuals than the divorce itself.

5. Informed-conscience is at the very core of the Catholic faith. Tribunals should acknowledge the reality that an alternative to annulment is already on the books in church law; it is called Internal Forum, or the 'good conscience solution'.
SOS knows that Internal Forum is considered valid for remarriage and many priests throughout the world, and in the U.S. have been quietly remarrying divorced individuals via Internal Forum prior to and since Vatican II. Remarried individuals throughout the United States who have not entered into the annulment process are validly receiving communion and are Catholics in good standing with their pastor's knowledge. The couple is mandated though, not to speak about the Internal forum process.

6. Tribunals must stop annulling non-Catholic marriages. The public must be made aware that Protestants, and other non-Catholics, are being abused by this system. Protestants married by Protestant clergy are being told by Catholic clergy that the Protestant marriage is invalid! For SOS, this is one of the most shameful, scandalous aspects of annulment.
The annulment process is destructive to ecumenical progress between the Christian faiths.

7. Tribunals must inform every Respondent about their right to Appeal to the Rota directly, as soon as they meet with their advocate. (see SOS "Appeal To The Rota" page)

It appears that the tribunals in the United States are almost exclusively concerned with the petitioner's request to nullify the sacrament.

If you have any comments or would like to add to this list of needed reforms, please email either Carole or Jan at the SOS "Contact Us" page.