Pope Francis has reformed the way in which the Catholic Church handles the annulment of marriages by way of two documents in the form of a Motu Proprio – a Papal document issued on the Pope’s own initiative and signed by him.

These documents contain canons that will replace sections in the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, and will come into effect on the 8^th December 2015.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales have published a summary of the key changes:

1. It is only necessary for one Tribunal to examine a case and judge that it is null as opposed to the two needed previously.
2. Fewer people need to be involved in a case.
3. In some cases the Bishop himself can examine a case from within his own diocese.
4. The process will be free of charge.

For more information on the changes of how marriages are annulled, please visit the Catholic News website.