In the Catholic tradition marriage has always been a permanent and loving bond between one man and one woman. Marriage is the genesis of the family—an intimate community of faith and love which reflects the love of Christ and serves as the building block of society.

On occasion circumstances arise that can lead to the nullity of an attempted marriage and that is why a canonical process is in place to provide for annulment. The practice in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has for several years been to ensure that no undue burdens would be imposed upon those seeking an annulment for valid reasons. The information released by the Vatican today is being carefully studied by the Metropolitan Tribunal. Should there be a need to make adjustments to the current process, we will work to implement them in a timely fashion.

We share the concern of our Holy Father for those who might struggle with this process and always seek to provide them with compassion and understanding.

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