Church law requires that a petition be processed and completed within a year, and the Tribunal does everything possible to comply with that. Even so, no one can promise a date when the final decision will be given. The decision in any case depends upon many factors which no one can be sure will fall into place by a given date. Chief among those factors are the difficulty of the case, the cooperation of the persons who are contacted, the weight of the proofs, the willingness of the petitioner to provide what is requested, the availability of trained persons in the Tribunal, and the number of petitions received and pending at the time.
"Priests and deacons are forbidden to schedule a wedding date for any person who needs a declaration of nullity from a previous marriage until the declaration has actually been obtained." (Statute 316, Fourth Synod of Trenton) The fact that a wedding date has been set will not give any petition priority over others.
Sometimes after a decision of annulment has been given, the spouses are required to obtain further evaluation of their readiness for marriage or additional counseling or other assistance in order to prepare well for marriage.
Because of the expenses incurred in the study of a marriage, the Tribunal asks each petitioner to help defray a part of the costs. This stipend varies from $50 to $800, depending on the type of case. Usually $600 is requested if a full, formal study is required. At the time a petition is accepted, the petitioner will be asked to agree to pay the expenses of the case, or request a reduction or waiver of the fee due to inability to pay. The Tribunal will accept petitions and complete cases even if people are unable to offer anything beyond the filing stipend.
For more information and further assistance, please contact the Tribunal office.
Office of Canonical Services and Tribunal
Diocesan Pastoral Center
PO Box 5147
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147
Phone: 609-406-7411
Fax: 609-406-7424
E-mail: [email protected]
Servicios de Canónico/ Tribunal
Personas que hablan español: Evelyn Aguiar, Nelida Agosto
Número de contacto: 609-406-7411
Tiempo completo
Each request is as unique as the persons who entered the marriage. While no one can be guaranteed an affirmative decision in advance, a person who thinks his or her marriage was defective from the beginning should be encouraged to request the study of that marriage. Many have already received justice through this process. At times people express the fear of reopening old wounds and hurts by going through a church process of nullity or dissolution. Yet the deeper self-understanding that can come from an honest and searching study of one's broken marriage can heal these wounds and hurts much more profoundly, and provide part of the solid foundation for a lasting and successful marriage in the future.