Remarriage

Discerning remarriage after an annulment means far more than having the Church’s permission to date again. It means doing the interior work to ensure you are genuinely ready – that you have healed from your first marriage, that you understand what went wrong and why, that you have grown in the self-knowledge and virtue needed to love well a second time. A declaration of nullity gives you freedom. Discernment ensures you use that freedom wisely. ...

The Catholic Church teaches that remarriage after divorce is only possible if the first marriage has been declared null through the annulment process. This is because the Church holds that a valid sacramental marriage bond cannot be dissolved by any human authority – not even the Church herself. I know this teaching can feel severe, especially when you’re in pain. But it’s rooted in something beautiful: the belief that marriage is a real, unbreakable covenant, not just a contract that can be renegotiated. ...