The Catholic Church understands marriage as a sacred, lifelong covenant. Because of this belief, the Church does not recognize divorce as ending a valid marriage bond. However, the Church also recognizes that not every marriage entered into was valid from the beginning. In some situations, a marriage may have lacked essential elements necessary for a true marital covenant—such as full freedom, sufficient maturity, or a clear understanding of what marriage requires.

For this reason, a person has the right to petition the Tribunal to examine a previous marriage. This process seeks to determine whether a valid marriage bond was truly present at the time the vows were exchanged, according to the laws and teachings of the Church.

A Declaration of Invalidity (annulment) does not say that a marriage never existed or that the relationship was entered into in bad faith. Rather, it states that something essential to a valid marriage was missing from the very beginning.

Some of the elements that are examined include:

• Freedom of choice (absence of pressure or coercion)
• Emotional and psychological maturity
• Honesty and openness between spouses
• Openness to children
• Understanding and intention of lifelong commitment
• Capacity to form a partnership of life and love as the Church teaches

The Tribunal’s role is not to place blame, but to seek the truth with compassion, justice, and care for all involved.