Annulment, the Wedding That Was: How the Church Can Declare a Marriage Null
A canonist and judge of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston's Metropolitan Tribunal, Foster presents in 101 clear questions and answers a basic primer on canon law and the mechanics of the church's court system in determining nullity of marriage. The principle of marriage as a free and public act of will made by parties consenting to the sacrament underlies church law. The often mysterious act of annulment is here demystified: the book illuminates the judicial process, beginning with the right to marry and ending with answers to such misconceptions as annulments being merely Catholic divorces or the idea that annulment wipes out a marriage. A standard text on the subject is Lawrence G. Wrenn's Annulments (Canon Law Society of America, 1996. 6th ed.), while a negative view of the process in the United States can be found in Robert Vasoli's What God Has Joined Together (LJ 2/15/98). Foster's more positive and readable book is recommended for most collections serving Catholic audiences.?Anna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.