How does the annulment process work, and why must I get a civil divorce first?
A viewer asks how the Catholic annulment process works and why one must obtain a civil divorce before the Church will consider whether there are grounds for an annulment.
Answer
The Church does not want any civil intrusion into what she decides about your marriage. Civil society and the Church have different rules on marriage; the Church allows no remarriage even after a divorce for fornication. So to clear the slate, you get the civil divorce, which the state grants for the asking, to get the secular society out of the way. Then you go to the diocesan tribunal, which the bishop sets up with experienced priests. They examine your whole history, especially your state at the altar, and take testimony from you and your witnesses. The key question is whether both parties were capable of marriage, psychologically, socially and otherwise, that is, did they know what they were doing. If they determine one or both did not, they grant a decree of nullity, and only then are you free to marry.