Once again, annulment is not divorce. Catholics believe that ‘What God has joined, let no man put asunder’, which means if a Catholic marriage is sacramental, it is permanent until the death of one of the spouses. However, if the marriage was not sacramental, then the spouses were never ‘joined by God’, so it was null from the beginning.
For a sacrament to attach, Catholics believe that there must be proper matter, and proper form. Baptism, for example requires matter (water) and form (I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
A defect in form will render the marriage null, so if the marriage takes place outside of the church, if there is no priest or deacon present as a witness, etc., an annulment will be granted if requested. (Some of these things can be dealt with ahead of time by a dispensation, but I am generalizing here for clarity).
Proper ‘matter’ for a marriage is two informed, willing, adult, non-closely-related people of opposite sex who are properly disposed to receive and grant a sacrament. Both parties must be baptized, willing to enter into a lifetime commitment, open to children, and must be agreeable that those children be raised in the Catholic faith.
If one of the spouses intended to stay together but believed that if things ‘didn’t work out’, divorce would end the marriage, then the vows were invalid. If one said they were open to children but really weren’t, the vows were invalid. If one spouse was not properly educated in the requirements and full meaning of the sacrament of marriage, then the vows were invalid. If one was in a state of ongoing mortal sin, the vows were invalid.
Simply getting a divorce does not mean that the marriage is invalid. If both spouses met all of the criteria at the time of the vows, then the vows are valid and annulment will be denied. Changing your mind after the vows have been said does not invalidate them.
However, if one or both spouses have remarried after divorce, it is obvious that at least now, they do not believe in the permanence of the first marriage. The question is whether that belief was present at the time of the vows or not, and that is what is investigated when an annulment is requested.
And yes, evidence that a person lied while taking a vow ‘til death do us part’ is ‘all it takes’ to get an annulment (which I know you know is not a ‘Catholic sanctioned divorce’, but thanks for trying to be insulting anyway).
Love,
O2
God never put the requirement of being sacramental into marriage anywhere in Scripture. That is completely a fabrication of Catholicism.
Breaking marriage vows is breaking marriage vows.
Call it what you wish and try to white wash it as *annulment* but it’s still breaking marriage vows, semantic gymnastics by the Catholic church notwithstanding.