Question:
Let’s say I’m being abused by my spouse. Since the Catholic Church doesn’t allow divorce, but a civil divorce is necessary for an annulment, what should I do?
Answer:
The Church does not forbid a civil divorce when it is sadly necessary to protect one or both of the parties. However, the Church does not recognize a civil divorce as ending the bond of marriage. Thus there is the necessity of an annulment, which determines that there was never a true marriage in the first place. The marriage bond can never be broken by a civil decree, and the Church annulment does not break the bond, it simply declares that the bond never actually existed morally.
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