Isn’t an annulment, just a “Catholic” divorce?
No. There is a significant difference between a divorce and a Declaration of Invalidity. A divorce is a civil document that terminates all civil bonds of a marriage. The Catholic Church does not recognize a civil divorce as an end to a marriage. The Catholic Church holds that all marriages are valid bonds in the eyes of God and the Church, unless it is proven otherwise. A divorce concerns itself with the end of a civil union between a man and a woman. It settles questions in terms of financial standings and child custody issues from a legal perspective.
