Our Mission
As a Court of the Catholic Church, our ministry is to assist people in arriving at a determination of the truth concerning the binding nature of their marital bond when they consider that truth not to have been determined during an adjudication process at First Instance.
The ongoing pursuit and acceptance of the truth about one’s life can surely facilitate a healing process. Our responsibility toward those suffering the pain of marital breakdown pertains to their state of life within the community of the Catholic Church. As we serve them through the application of the Church’s law, we encourage men and women who have suffered marital breakdown to also establish and develop a professional relationship with a local priest or pastoral minister. In that additional forum, a person can benefit more directly from pastoral assistance along the path of healing and be provided appropriate pastoral counsel. Most dioceses provide various programs and services to assist a person in healing and recovering from loss.
What We Do
As a court of the Catholic Church, our ministry is to apply Canon (Church) Law in adjudicating cases pertaining to petitions for a Decree of Marital Nullity. We hear cases which are being appealed after a decision from a First Instance Tribunal. We serve as the Appellate Tribunal for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, the Diocese of Jefferson City, the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, and the Archdiocese of Omaha.
Cases are forwarded to our Appellate Tribunal by the Tribunal at which they were heard at First Instance. We then receive from the party who is appealing the case his or her statement explaining the foundation and rationale for their appeal as well as any additional testimony from the principal parties and any additional witness testimony which was not submitted for whatever reason at First Instance. Due to the geographical distance of most appellants from our offices, most correspondence with our Tribunal is generally conducted by ground or electronic mail or by telephone.
Appeal Process
If you have received a judgment in response to a Petition for a Decree of Marital Nullity which you deem to be unjust or insufficiently founded on the facts of the matter, please submit your appeal in writing to the Tribunal which issued the decision within fifteen days of having received notification of the judgment. Your written appeal must include substantive explanation of the foundation and rationale for your appeal. The First Instance Tribunal will forward your case to us.