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288 • Part II. The Sacraments: The Faith Celebrated
Thus they are encouraged to participate in the life of their parish
communities and to attend the Sunday Eucharist, even though they can-
not receive Holy Communion.
A DECLARATION OF NULLITY (ANNULMENT)
The marriage of two baptized persons celebrated according to the norms
of Church law is always presumed to be valid. When a marriage has
broken down, this presumption remains in effect until the contrary is
proven. The examination of the validity of a marriage is undertaken
by a Church tribunal or court. When a Church court issues a declara-
tion of nullity, it does not mean there was no civil, sexual, or emotional
marital relationship, nor does it mean that the children of the union are
illegitimate. The declaration means that no sacramental bond—or, in
the case of one party’s being unbaptized, no natural bond—took place
because at the time of the wedding, the standards for a valid marriage
were not met. Grounds for a declaration of nullity (annulment) include
flaws in the rite itself, in the legal capacity of the parties to marry (i.e., an
“impediment”), or in the consent they gave—whether they were lacking
in discretion or maturity of judgment or were marrying due to force or
fear or with an intent to exclude fidelity or the commitment to a life-
The consent of the spouses must be an act of the will, free of
coercion or external threats. If this freedom is absent, the mar-
riage is invalid. For this reason (or other reasons that render the
marriage null and void), the Church, after an examination of the
situation by a competent Church court, can declare the nullity of
a marriage, that is, that the sacramental marriage never existed. In
this case, the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the
natural obligations of the previous union are discharged (cf. CCC,
nos. 1628-1629; CIC, can. 1095-1107).
DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF A MARRIAGE