A finding of nullity is a judgment of a chuch court (tribunal) which, after reviewing evidence and testimony, conludes that there was some severe defect in the marriage vows from the git-go.
A defective vow isn't a vow; and without authentic vows there cannot be a binding sacramental marriage.
If one of the parties to the vows was drunk, on drugs, underage, mentally defective, under threat or duress (gun to their head), ineligible to marry (because of blood relationship or because of being already married to somebody else, for instance), knowingly lying to or deceiving the other party --- for any such reasons or similar, the tribunal finds that the marriage was never sacramental, because the vow was a "nullity."
This has no impact whatsoever on civil marriage or on the civil legal status of the would-be spouses or their children.
What it does have impact on, is the canonicity of the original marriage. By bringing objective evidence and standards to bear on the validity of a marriage, it should be an aid to the examination of conscience. If the parties have a conscience.
May God help these wretched people.
When RFK’s brother Joe got a secret annullment from his first wife Sheila she had to fight for 10 years to get it reversed and her argument was that if the annullment was allowed to stand it would theologically negate the legitimacy of their teenage twins.
RFK jr used his vatican connections to get an annullment from his first wife over her adamant objections so he could remarry wife number 2 in the catholic church. I hate to be so jaded but I highly doubt he had any valid reason for an annullment after 12-13 years of marriage and several children.
How many divorced catholics do you know with really good reasons for being divorced that don’t have annullments? Probably a lot. I don’t know one divorced catholic that has gotten an annullment.