Hi, Pat —

Thank you for your question.

The Catholic Church regrettably understands and requires that civil/legal divorce precede an annulment. Divorce only breaks the legal barriers contracted between the husband and wife; it in no way implies that the marriage still doesn't exist in God's eyes.

As for the conditions under which the Church grants annulments, that is a question which cannot be answered in a brief fashion. For this answer, and a better understanding, I invite you to read the following web page for an explanation of Catholic annulments. It was written by a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts and is in layman's language, thus making it an easy and compelling read.

There is also a page titled: Declaration of Nullity FAQ's.

I pray and hope that this reading will assist you. If you should have any difficulties pulling up these pages then go to www.bostoncatholic.org, and use the search function at the top center of the home page.

Do a search under annulment and refer to the appropriate pages in the search results.

God Bless,

John