Pope wants marriage annulments to be gratuitous

24 gennaio 2015

1 min di lettura

(AGI) Vatican City, Jan 24 - Pope Francis again asked theecclesiastical tribunals that deal with marriage annulments to"shorten the proceeding, which is often perceived by thespouses to be long and wearisome", when commemorating the 10thanniversary of the "Dignitatis connubi" on Saturday, thedocument promoted by Pope John Paul II in order streamlinemarriage annulment proceedings under Canon Law. Pope Francisinaugurated the Roman Rota's judicial year on Friday and askedthat the proceedings be fast and free of charge. "Up until now,not all of the resources that this instruction makes availablefor an expeditious process, devoid of every formalism for itsown sake, have been explored; nor can we exclude furtherlegislative acts in the future aimed at the same end", hestated. While addressing the participants to the InternationalConference promoted by the Pontifical Gregorian University tocelebrate the publication of the "Dignitas connubii"Instruction, Pope Francis called on the judges and clerks ofthe ecclesiastical tribunals to "respond more generously" tothe indications contained in the document which, he said, alsodemonstrates the "importance of Dignitas connubii, which is notdirected to law specialists but to the workers in the localtribunals", he said. "It is, in fact, a modest but usefulvademecum (handbook) that really takes the ministers of thetribunals by the hand toward the implementation of a processthat is both sure and expeditious". (AGI) . .