What is the term for the Church’s declaration that a marriage never existed as a sacramental union?

• A. Divorce
• B. Separation
• C. Nullity
• D. Annulment

Answer: (D)

In the Church, a marriage is considered valid only if certain conditions are truly present from the start, especially freely given consent and proper form. When the Church determines that a necessary element was missing from the outset, the union is not sacramentally valid, meaning it never existed as a true marriage in the eyes of the Church. The term commonly used to describe this ruling is an annulment—the Church’s declaration that the marriage never existed as a sacramental bond. In official canon law, the precise phrase is a declaration of nullity, but in everyday teaching and practice, annulment is the standard label for that declaration. This helps distinguish it from divorce (civil dissolution of a valid marriage) and separation (living apart while still legally married).