Dr Ed Peters: Annulment? What annulment? Really, what annulment?

Put two quiet canons together, Canon 1682 which requires that every "sentence which first declare[s] the nullity of marriage to be transmitted ex officio to the appellate tribunal" and Canon 1684 which states that only "after the sentence which first declared the nullity of the marriage has been confirmed at the appellate level. . .[can] the persons whose marriage has been declared null contract a new marriage . . ." and one begins to wonder whether Joe Kennedy’s annulment was really overturned by the Roman Rota.

And while we’re at it, exactly what about this case required 10 years to decide?

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