Bibliography
Commentaries
Beal, John P., Coriden, James A., and Green, Thomas J., eds. New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law (New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2000). (This is the latest English language commentary on the entire Code of Canon Law and constitutes a complete reworking of the next title on this list. It is nearly 2,000 pages in length and retails for about $90. It is technical in nature and would not be directly beneficial to the ministry of assisting people prepare petitions. For those with a wider interest in canon law, however, it is an excellent resource.)
Coriden, James A., Green, Thomas J., and Heintschel, Donald E., eds. The Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary (New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1985). (This fine resource on the entire Code of Canon Law is now out of print, having been supplanted by the New Commentary noted above. It remains a valuable resource, primarily for its historical perspectives. Some of the commentary is now outdated, and it does not reflect the two amendments to the Code and various authentic interpretations that have been issued since 1985.)
Other Recommended Resources
Brown, Ralph. Marriage Annulment in the Catholic Church, third edition (Rattlesden, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England: Kevin Mayhew, Ltd., 1990). (This is a good resource for the person in the pew, well written, pastorally sensitive, by a world renowned canon lawyer. Unfortunately, it is not easily obtainable in the United States.)
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part Two, Section Two, Chapter Three, Article 7: The Sacrament of Matrimony (#1601-1666). (The catechism summarizes well the current teaching and practice of the Church related to marriage. It barely mentions declarations of nullity (#1628-1629), however, since the process was not seen as a subject for development in a document like the Catechism. )
Foster, Michael Smith. Annulment: The Wedding that Was: How the Church Can Declare a Marriage Null (New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1999). (This popular text contains 101 questions and responses concerning the process written in an easily accessible style with extensive citations of texts in the Code to indicate the foundation for the answers. The author is well respected and the book of high quality.)
Peters, Edward N. 100 Answers to Your Questions on Annulments (Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Simon & Schuster, 1997). (The question and answer approach is helpful to some, less so to others. The answers are accurate and written in an accessible style. This text is more expensive and not as easily obtainable as that of Father Foster.)
Robinson, Geoffrey. Matrimonio, Divorcio y Anulación: guía del proceso de anulación en la la Iglesia Católica (México, D.F.: Editorial Trillas, 1996). (This Spanish translation of Robinson’s Marriage, Divorce and Nullity: A Guide to the Annulment Process in the Catholic Church fills a great need. Previously, there has been practically nothing available in Spanish for the “person in the pew.” In general, the quality of the translation is good, although the subtitle is completely mistranslated on the cover of the book (it is translated properly on the inner title page). There is also an error on page 77. The impediment of age as provided in universal canon law is 16 for males and 14 for females (see canon 1083). The translation of Robinson, unlike the original English, mistakenly has age 18. Otherwise, the text is very good. This book can be obtained through the Gethesemani bookstore located at 2156 Atlantic Boulevard, Commerce, CA 90040. The phone there is (323) 262-7904.)
Tierney, Terence E. and Campo, Joseph J. Annulment: Do You Have a Case? (New York: Alba House, 1993). (This is a revised and updated edition of a work designed to “spark readers into taking their cases to a tribunal and [to give] them and their parish priests some idea of what to expect from the Church court.”)
Other Publications
There are other publications available which some of the people you serve may have discovered. Generally, these may have some value, but are also marked by flaws so that this Tribunal does not recommend them.
Lara, Narciso Pérez. El Matrimonio Católico y la Nulidad Eclesíatica (Mexico, D.F.: Editorial Jus, 1989). (This has some major flaws, but other than the translation of Robinson’s book is about the only resource available in Spanish written in non-technical language accessible to the average person. Lacking is any real explanation of how and why the Church does issue declarations of nullity. Nor does the book describe how the process unfolds. The cases included in the book are interesting and present, in a concrete manner, some of the grounds of nullity. But there is little on the grounds rooted in canon 1095. Furthermore, a superficial reading of the cases might raise false expectations in the minds of people.)
Smith, Ronald T. Annulment: A Step-by-Step Guide for Divorced Catholics (Chicago: ACTA Publications, 1995). (The attempt to give a step-by-step guide is too simplistic, since there are many variations from tribunal to tribunal. For instance, as the “first step” for people to take, he tells people to contact the tribunal directly, which is not the practice here in Los Angeles or in neighboring dioceses. Similarly, his description of the process within the tribunal does not take into account the complexities and the uniqueness of each petition, and could set up some false expectations.)
Zwack, Joseph P. Annulment: Your Chance to Remarry in the Catholic Church (Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harper & Row, 1983). (This has been a popular text, but has serious flaws. Zwack is a civil attorney who writes from the philosophy and perspective of civil law. While the book contains some valuable material, he does not present any spiritual context for the process, and approaches it more from a perspective of finding the loophole or “escape” than looking for God’s will in the midst of the shattered relationship. We recommend that this not be used.)
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