Answered by Guy Roberts
Q: If I get an annulment in the Catholic Church does it mean my children are illegitimate?
A: Many people have expressed this fear to me over the years. The quick answer is, “absolutley not!” To understand the answer, let’s explore what an annulment means.
In the Catholic Church, marriage is more than an arrangement under civil law. Catholics consider marriage a Sacrament, and therefore, under the authority of the Church. However, the Church still requires a civil marriage license before a sacramental marriage ceremony is performed.
Because the Catholic Church views marriage as a Sacrament (a source of grace) and a divine covenant, the belief is that, when two people enter into a valid marriage in the Church, an unbreakable bond is formed in the eyes of God. But, for this bond to come into being, certain things must be in place, such as the intention that the marriage will be permanent, that children will be welcomed, and that the couple will be faithful to one another. Also, both parties to the marriage must give free consent, and have the mental, physical, and emotion capacity to live up to the duties required by marriage.
If one of these requirements is lacking, then the bond does not exist in God’s sight, and the marriage can be ended though a process leading to the granting of an annulment. If an annulment is granted, the parties to the marriage are free to enter marriage with another person.
So, what about children born to a marriage where the unbreakable bond never existed? Does an annulment mean they are illegitimate?
No! The Catholic Church has never taught such a thing. The Church presumes marriages are valid (meaning the bond exists) until proven otherwise. A marriage in the Church, which is later declared null, is called a “bona fide” marriage, and the children are certainly “legitimate!”
The truth is, ALL children are legtimate in the eyes of God. It is only human institutions which have created notions such as “illegitmacy” to exclude individuals from full participation in society. All life comes from God, and he does not create illegitimate human persons.
This website exists to call out to all who feel excluded, cut off, or left behind, that they may hear the call of Jesus Christ, saying, “Come to me! I have called you each by name, and you are mine!”