The Catholic Teaching
on Annulment
Preserving the
Sanctity of Marriage
by
Reverend W. Becket Soule, O.P.
General Editor
Reverend Peter M. Girard, O.P., S.T.L.
Catholic Information Service
Knights of Columbus Supreme Council
The Knights of Columbus presents
The Veritas Series
“Proclaiming the Faith in the Third Millennium”
Copyright © 1997 by Knights of Columbus Supreme Council
All rights reserved.
Scripture selections are taken from the New American Bible, copyright © 1970
by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. 20017. Used
with permission. All rights reserved.
Text taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of
America, copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conferences, Inc., Libreria
Editrice Vaticana. All rights reserved.
Text from Familiaris Consortio, copyright © 1981, United States Catholic
Conference. Used with permission.
Text from the code of Canon Law, Latin/English Edition, are used with permis-
sion, copyright © 1983 Canon Law Society of America, Washington, D.C.
Cover © PhotoDisc Inc.
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tronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and
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Nihil Obstat
Reverend David Q. Liptak
Censor Librorum
Imprimatur
✝ Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, S.T.D.
Archbishop of Hartford
Dec. 9, 1996
As a loving mother, the Church responds to the needs and
wounds of her children. One of the most traumatic experi-
ences that an individual may face remains the separation from
his or her spouse. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of no-fault
divorce often trivializes the bond of marriage by reducing it
to a mere legality. In order to respect the indissoluble bond of
marriage and remain compassionate to those who are experi-
encing the trauma of separa