Join Our Live Google Hangout Discussion About The Pope's Annulment Changes

On September 8th, 2015, Pope Francis announced changes to the annulment process with the specific goal of reducing the time it takes to go through it and receive a decision on whether or not a petitioner's marriage was valid or invalid. Coming from the perspective of one who's been divorced and gone through the annulment process, I'd like to share my experience with you briefly to lend some perspective and also invite you to an important, free event I'm offering, coming up in just a few days.

Back in 1996, I was living in Connecticut (a real weather challenge for this Southern California girl), working for the National Catholic Register, and doing my best to rebuild my life after going through a divorce I didn't want. But I was determined to do what was necessary to be a happy person again and part of that included going through the annulment process. It wouldn't be cheap, and I didn't have much expendable cash to pay for it, but it was something I had to do so I talked to my pastor, filled out the initial paperwork and then waited for a response from the tribunal.

I knew what to expect—a personal questionnaire in which I would be required to divulge the details of my failed marriage, but when I received the envelope in the mail and flipped through it, I almost threw up. The questions were intensely personal and immediately brought painful memories flooding back, things I had been trying so hard to forget. So I did what any normal person would do. I threw the questionnaire into the bottom drawer of my desk and didn't look at it again for two weeks.

I realized I had to really prepare myself for answering these questions and revisiting this terrible time in my life, but what it really boiled down to was scheduling time to be upset. It took me about a month to get through it and with each question I answered, I cried bitter tears. What I couldn't see then but would recognize in the months ahead, was those were cleansing tears. They were helping me finally accept all that had happened and lay it to rest. It was like a funeral service for my marriage. Two years later, I received my decree of nullity and had a new direction in life.

This is what many divorced Catholics who go through the annulment process face. Being faced with dredging up their painful past, scraping up the cash to pay for it and waiting with baited breath for the tribunal's decision. This is also what many divorced Catholics find intimidating and makes them choose to walk away from the process altogether. But many of those who have walked away are now rethinking their willingness to go through it because of the changes to the annulment process Pope Francis has just announced this week.

Salus Animarum

There is a lot of controversy surrounding these changes and a lot of people are debating them because it's important to really understand how these changes will affect individuals, tribunals, and bishops. But I'd like to draw attention to one of the final paragraphs in the Vatican's initial report on the announcement, which reads as follows:

Indeed, the prefatory remarks make clear from the very start, that the single most important principle guiding the Holy Father’s action and the work of reform undertaken, is that of salus animarum—the salvation of souls—which is the suprema Ecclesiae lex—the supreme law of the Church. - Pope Francis Reforms Church Law In Marital Nullity Trials, Vatican Radio 2015-09-08

As the debate continues and until the dust settles, I believe it's important to keep that point in mind, that the Holy Father's motivation is the salvation of souls. And so I'd like to invite you to a free Google webcast with myself and Rose Sweet, author of The Catholic Divorce Survival Guide on Tuesday, September 15th at 3pm EST. We will be discussing these changes from our own perspectives and will take your questions, too. To attend this free event, you need to have a Gmail account and then on the designated date and time you can go into Google Plus, click on "Hangouts Online" where you will see our video screen and join in the discussion.

If you cannot be there live, we will post a recording of it for you. If you have any questions please email me at asklisa@catholicmath.com. Hope to see you there!