Tribunal of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

Overview of the Tribunal

The members of the Tribunal are appointed by the bishop for the ministry of justice according to the Catholic Church's canon law. Certain violations of church law are adjudicated. The principal responsibility is investigation and decision concerning declaration of invalidity of marriage and dissolution of the marital bond. A Church Decree of Invalidity is a declaration from the Catholic Church that a particular union, presumably begun in good faith and thought by all to be a marriage, was in fact an invalid union. The purpose of such ecclesiastical processes is to serve one's conscience and spirit, to clarify a person's status before the Church regarding marriage, and to reconcile persons to full sacramental participation in the community of the Church.

What Is a Marriage?

The Church's Canon law says of marriage: "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament For this reason, a matrimonial contract cannot validly exist between baptized persons unless it is also a sacrament." The Church teaches that according to the law of God, marriage is by its nature a permanent union. Therefore, the Church's law presumes the validity of a marriage unless the contrary is proven in a Tribunal.

What Is the Tribunal?

The Tribunal is a court established and regulated by the laws of the Catholic Church. It is directed by the Bishop of Lansing. By his authority it administers justice, vindicates rights and assists in the pastoral care of the people of the diocese. It is supervised by the Judicial Vicar and staffed by other qualified personnel, in particular canon lawyers, whom the bishop appoints. It conducts ecclesiastical trials according to Church law. A major function of the Tribunal is to investigate the validity or invalidity of marriages. Whenever Catholics or non Catholics have been previously married, this must be done to establish whether they may enter a new marriage in the Catholic Church. Thus it assists persons by finding if a declaration of invalidity or dissolution might be possible. The Tribunal uses both the administrative and judicial procedures outlined in the Code of Canon Law to determine the invalidity of a marriage or to dissolve it. It seeks, in the words of Pope Pius XI, "to care for the dignity of marriage; to work for the good of persons."

How Does One Begin the Process?

Contact your local parish office. Either a priest or a trained pastoral minister will make an appointment to meet with you. He or she will then assist you in preparing the case and submitting it to the Tribunal according to the Tribunal guidelines. You will be given the forms and instructions you need at the time. The Tribunal will respond according to the type of case. To locate a Catholic parish in our diocese so that you could speak with a parish priest or pastoral minister about beginning a case, or to obtain baptismal records, visit our diocesan directory.
Note: information on Catholic Church law is of a general nature and not intended to cover the technical details of any given case.