1st Edition

Divorce, Annulments, and the Catholic Church Healing or Hurtful?

By Craig Everett, Richard Jenks Copyright 2002
    266 Pages
    by Routledge

    258 Pages
    by Routledge

    Explore the meaning of annulment to Catholics and the Church!

    This valuable book examines the use of annulment by the Catholic Church to grant divorced Catholics the right to remarry within the Church. Divorce, Annulments, and the Catholic Church: Healing or Hurtful? is the first published study on annulments with wide-scale usage of questionnaires and interviews comparing Catholics who have sought an annulment with divorced Catholics who have not sought an annulment as well as married Catholics.

    In addition to delivering a quantitative analysis of the responses to various questions (religious, social, or psychological), it explains in lay terms what annulments are and what the acceptable grounds are for annulment and takes you step-by-step through the process of obtaining one. This insightful book also contains case studies of individuals who have been hurt by annulments and offers suggestions on how people who want to contest an annulment should proceed.

    This well-referenced book:

    • explores the factors that lead to divorce
    • provides a theoretical perspective as to why people either support or oppose annulments
    • examines the religious influence on divorce and remarriage
    • discusses the social integration-related aspects of annulment and divorce for Catholics
    • presents recommendations for petitioners, respondents, clerics, and the members of tribunals who act as advocates, defenders, and judges

      Divorce, Annulments, and the Catholic Church is an invaluable reference work for counselors dealing with the issue of divorce for Catholics, non-Catholics whose former spouses are seeking annulments, divorced Catholics who are contemplating an annulment, members of the clergy, and members of marriage tribunals and Family Life groups.

    • Foreword
    • Acknowledgments
    • Introduction
    • Chapter 1. Historical and Sociological Context of Divorce
    • Impact of Divorce
    • Divorce in Historical Perspective
    • Model of Divorce
    • Factors Associated with Divorce
    • Summary
    • Chapter 2. Religious Perspectives on Divorce
    • Protestant Denominations
    • Judaism
    • Roman Catholicism
    • Summary
    • Chapter 3. Annulments and the Catholic Church
    • The Internal Forum
    • The External Forum: The Annulment
    • The Annulment Process
    • The Marriage Tribunal
    • Objections to Annulments
    • Summary
    • Chapter 4. Demographic and Marital Issues
    • Nature of the Study
    • Marriage and Divorce
    • Analysis of Findings by Gender
    • Summary
    • Chapter 5. Religion and Marriage: Psychological Factors
    • Marriage and Well-Being
    • Religion and Well-Being
    • Findings on Well-Being
    • Annulled versus Divorced
    • Summary
    • Chapter 6. Social Integration
    • Marriage and Social Integration
    • Religion and Social Integration
    • Summary
    • Chapter 7. The Petitioners
    • Knowledge of and Feelings About Annulments
    • Reasons for Seeking the Annulment
    • Role of the Ex-Spouse
    • Role of the Children
    • The Annulment Process
    • Case Studies
    • Summary
    • Chapter 8. The Respondents
    • Questionnaire Information
    • Case Studies
    • Other Stories
    • Summary
    • Chapter 9. Conclusion
    • Summary of Findings
    • Theory
    • Recommendations
    • Appendix A: Tribunal Questionnaire
    • Appendix B: Questionnaire—Divorce and Religious Annulment Survey
    • Appendix C: Interview Schedule
    • References
    • Index

    Biography

    Richard Jenks, Craig Everett