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Dear cryptomc,

* sigh *

So many errors, so little time.

First, I'm sure that plenty of these excommunicated researchers are quite wealthy by this point. I've known folks who did academic scientific research, and the top guys often do well.

I worked in a research lab for a few years, and the top guy, aged 35 or so, was already a full professor, with a comfortable salary, got a salary from each research grant he brought in, was on the boards of directors of a few companies that commercialized his research, with salaries and stock options attendant, owned a fancy house in a fancy section of Washington, DC, drove a BMW, and was married to a professor at another local university, doing nearly as well.

Thus, if one could buy one's way out of an excommunication, these folks likely would have the means.

Second, Joseph Kennedy received nothing from the Church that thousands of other Catholics receive every year, usually for a cost of about $400 (in the United States), which covers the actual expenses of the marriage tribunal. If a party requires a great deal of time of a canon lawyer, that can increase the cost, just as a bitterly contested divorce can cost a lot more than an uncontested divorce.

However, in most cases, the grounds for annulment are pretty straightforward, and although the process is usually very time-consuming and emotionally draining, a knowledgeable priest can foresee the potential for success of an application for a declaration of nullity near the start of the process.

As to the status of children after annulment, this has been raised and dismissed so many times on FR that if I had a dime for each time it's come up, I'd be retired by now. A declaration of nullity means that no SACRAMENTAL marriage occurred. It says nothing about LEGAL marriage. Legal marriage is about the laws of the civil government. Legitimacy of children derives from the civil law.

The children of couples who obtain a declaration of nullity for their SACRAMENTAL marriage are still the legitimate issue of their parents from their civil marriage.

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