The Tribunal ministry is one part of the Church’s effort to offer healing and hope for the victims of broken marriages. The Tribunal investigates cases of marital failure to determine whether parties in certain instances may be free to remarry.
It draws upon both traditional sources of understanding what constitutes a true marriage according to divine law and Catholic faith, as well as the insights of contemporary psychology and sociology into the interpersonal elements of the marriage partnership. Faithful to Catholic tradition, it maintains the Gospel's prohibition of arbitrary and unwarranted divorce while at the same time sustaining the basic right of individuals to enter a true marital union, a partnership of the whole of life, and recognizing the obstacles that sometimes prevent such a partnership from coming into being.
In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, this ministry, entrusted to the Archbishop in his role as chief Shepherd and Judge of the people entrusted to his care, is delegated to the Metropolitan Tribunal. This office are staffed by priests, deacons, religious and lay persons trained in Canon Law, together with their support staff.
The Tribunal, under the direction of the Judicial Vicar, conducts trials and studies related to the validity of marriage, as well as other judicial proceedings that may arise under Church law.
We hope that the information contained on the following pages will help you to become acquainted with our staff and our ministry in behalf of the Church. We also present information for parish marriage case ministers on the procedure to be followed in preparing cases for consideration by the Tribunal. Finally, we offer a number of links to other ecclesial and canon law resources.
Contact Us
After reviewing the content of this site, if we can be of further assistance, please phone the office of the Tribunal at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center at 213 637 7245.