Faithful to Christ’s words, the Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a lifelong union of a man and woman and that it cannot be dissolved by the spouses. Yet, when a marriage fails irreparably and authentic marital life cannot be restored, the Church, following Christ's merciful example, is open to examine whether the couple actually formed a true bond of marriage. This process of investigation--of seeking the truth--could lead to a declaration of nullity, which would establish both parties’ freedom from their former union.

As Pope Francis has explained, "Overcoming a distorted view of marriage cases, as if they were concerned merely with subjective interests, one must rediscover that all the participants in the process are called to contribute towards the same objective, to make the truth shine on a concrete union between a man and a woman, reaching the conclusion regarding the existence or not of a true marriage between them" (Allocution to the Roman Rota, January 27, 2022).

In conducting this judicial process, the Church uses local tribunals to collect testimony, interview witnesses, and assemble other evidence that might show that, fundamentally, one or both spouses lacked the capacity or the will to establish a true marriage or that they were impeded in some other way.  Catholics, those interested in becoming Catholic, or those who intend to marry a Catholic may request that the Church begin this investigation. Many marriage nullity cases are handled with full judicial formalities, while others may be addressed more simply depending on the facts of the marriage.