My fiancee was previously married non-denomination. His ex-wife moved away, divorced him and remarried a month later. That was 7 years ago and now we want to get married in the catholic church. From what friends and family are telling us, he needs to go about getting an anullment. Is this true even though he wasnt married in the catholic church? How do I go about the process and about how long does it take to complete? Please Help!

-- Christina Marie Schumacher (bonybynatur2003@yahoo.com), January 22, 2005

Answers

Yes he will need an annulment - an official statement from the Church that he is not bound by his previous marriage, for your protection and his. He will have to submit a form to the marriage tribunal, providing the details of his previous marriage and related information, in order to initiate the process. Your priest can help him get started, or you can contact the diocesan tribunal office directly. Look in the phone book under "Diocese of ...". The tribunal process could take anywhere from a couple of months to more than a year, depending on the circumstances of his case and the workload of the tribunal.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 22, 2005.