[FormerLib]

The Eastern Catholic Churches established annulment processes in the 20th century at Rome's insistence.

It does allow them the ability to maintain the fiction that there's a difference between every annulment and a divorce.

[hispanichoosier]

It does allow them the ability to maintain the fiction that there's a difference between every annulment and a divorce.

There is a difference between the two. If the metropolitan tribunal issues a decree of nullity, it's a factual finding on the part of competent authorities. If a tribunal merely "goes through the motions" and grants decrees without truly weighing evidence for and against a sacramental marriage, then the moral fault is on the part of the individual tribunal members. Faithful laity, however, are justified in relying upon the decrees of the tribunal.

On a side note, I know a person who works in our tribunal here in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. She works very hard to determine the truth regarding the marriage. The process is not an adversarial one; it is different from our Anglo-American legal system. Perhaps if the system had more of an adversarial tone--including cross-examination of petitioners and respondents--it would be more meaningful. Nevertheless, we've been given a system by the Code of Canon Law, and we have to make the best of it.