According to canon 1060 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, every marriage is presumed to be valid and, therefore, indissoluble until a doubt to the contrary is proven. As a result, a merely divorced person is not free to contract marriage again in the Catholic Church until such time as a declaration of marriage nullity has been issued. A declaration of marriage nullity is one conclusion to the judicial process which investigates factual evidence concerning the doubt of validity of the marriage according to the teachings and laws of the Catholic Church.
The judicial process that may result in a declaration of marriage nullity is a “formal process” or what some refer to as an “annulment.” Before you complete any paperwork for the Tribunal of Scranton, please know that norms exist which determine the jurisdictional competence of the Tribunal to try the case. Therefore, you must first contact the Tribunal of Scranton to verify that the Tribunal of Scranton is competent to adjudicate a petition for marriage nullity before the formal process may begin.
Please know that any person, regardless of religious affiliation or baptismal status may petition a competent tribunal for clarification of his or her marital status.
