ABSTRACT
The faith community usually considers divorce an offense against the dignity of marriage, whether a Christian or a good and natural marriage, for it brings disorder into the family and society. It is especially injurious to a Christian marriage. Within the Catholic Church there are two ways in which a marriage can be ruled invalid: the internal and external forum or solution. The internal forum focuses upon the individual’s conscience and whether she or he truly is convinced that no marriage ever existed. It is a process strictly between the priest and the individual. The external forum refers to the way in which the Church governs itself. Church law is part of the external forum. It is within this context that the annulment occurs. Simply put, the internal is private and the external is public. If a Catholic wants to remarry and remain within the good graces of the Church, it becomes crucial that an annulment be obtained.
