Pope Francis to Release New Marriage Annulment Process for Catholics

From The Washington Post:

On Tuesday, Pope Francis will release a plan to reform the Catholic Church’s procedure for marriage annulments, according to a Vatican spokesperson. The move comes ahead of a highly anticipated meeting the pope has organized in Rome in October that could result in changes in church practice and doctrine around the family.

The pope will announce two decrees during a news conference in Rome on Tuesday. The decrees are titled “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus” and “Mitis et Misericors Iesus,” Latin meaning “The Gentle Judge, The Lord Jesus” and “The Meek and Merciful Jesus.”

Annulment — a required process for Catholics that invalidates an earlier marriage — and the rules governing Communion for divorced Catholics who remarry outside the church have been under discussion since a high-profile meeting at the Vatican last year. Francis has spoken several times of the need to reform annulments, as Catholics have complained that the process can take time and money to obtain one before they can take Communion again.

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