[fwdude]

You’re right, I was just commenting on a Trump article.

What’s the difference, practically, between a divorce and an annulment?

[mmichaels1970]

What’s the difference, practically, between a divorce and an annulment?

I'm no expert, but from what I understand, annulment is the church determining that based on circumstances that they review, you were never "actually" married. I believe in the past, these circumstances were more stringent. Things like domestic abuse, or a spouse that committed serious crimes.

Nowadays, I think the standards are more lenient depending on your diocese. Sort of like when you get married outside the church, you have to apply to get your marriage "blessed" by the bishop in order to get the church to recognize it. I feel like annulment today, in many cases, is basically getting your divorce "blessed" in a way.

I'm not exactly the model Catholic though, so others may have a better explanation.

[jazminerose]

A divorce terminates or dissolves a marriage.

An annulment voids one that was never valid in the first place due to fraud, being under age, etc.

The laws concerning both are state specific. In CA, for example, you would still have a 6 mo waiting period before you could remarry, just as in a divorce, as a practical matter.

[PrairieLady2]

My amature understanding is that a civil divorce can occur for any reason in most places. It dissolves the legal contractual responsibilities of marriage between two people, they can remarry.

An annulment given by a church says that the marriage was never a valid marriage in the first place for one reason or another, making it as though the individuals were never married. However, they do acknowledge the legitimacy of any children which may have been born as a result of that union.

Some of the reasons given for an annulment could possibly include fraud, misrepresenting who one is, or is already married, or is closely related to the person they want to marry.