A Tribunal is the Church court for a local Roman Catholic diocese. It adjudicates internal Church legal affairs, including petitions fordeclarations of nullity of marriage. A Tribunal is composed of the Judicial Vicar, other judges, and court officers, such as Promotors of Justice, Defenders of Marriage, Advocates and Auditors. The Philadelphia Tribunal is a Metropolitan Tribunal because it is the court of the Metropolitan Episcopal See of Philadelphia. It is the appeal court for all of the Roman Catholic dioceses of Pennsylvania.

Marriages are to be performed legally and validly. Legally means the marriage is properly performed according to civil and religious regulations. Validly means that when the people marry, their intentions, their understanding of marriage, and their ability to enter marriage are sufficient. In the Catholic Church for one to marry validly one must have the intention to enter a permanent faithful union that is open to the possibility of children. In the Catholic Church marriage is understood to be a community of life for a man and a woman, for their mutual, interpersonal growth and for the procreation and education of children. Finally, one must have the basic physical, emotional, and psychological ability to understand the intentions and meaning of marriage and to intend and fulfill them.

For all marriages, this validity is presumed. The Catholic Church cannot end or break a valid marriage bond between two baptized persons. The Church can examine the presumed valid marriage to see if the validity that is presumed really existed. This only if one of the spouses requests it. This procedure is what the annulment process is all about.

The Church cannot refuse to investigate the validity of a marriage once one of the spouses has challenged it. This investigation does not mean that the case is proved, only that the marriage has to be investigated.

An annulment does not affect children born in a marriage. Parents are always responsible for their children. Even if a declaration of nullity is granted it never negates parenthood nor its responsibilities.

Anyone who has been previously married and divorced and now wishes to marry in the Catholic Church must petition for a declaration of nullity.
The party who petitions the tribunal for an annulment is called the PETITIONER. The other party who is asked to respond to the petition for a declaration of nullity is called the RESPONDENT.

In matrimonial cases that are not reserved to the Apostolic See, the following are competent:
1. The Tribunal of the place where the marriage was celebrated.
2. The Tribunal of the place where the Respondent has a residence or a part time residence.
3. The Tribunal of the place where the petitioner has a domicile, provided that both parties live in the territory of the same episcopal conference (e.g., in the United States) and that the judicial vicar of the Respondent's domicile, having heard the Respondent, gives his consent.
4. The Tribunal of the place where de facto most of the proofs are to be collected, provided the judicial vicar of the Respondent's domicile give consent and, before doing so, asks the Respondent whether he or she has any objections (c. 1673).

There are fees involved in carrying out the entire process. The Tribunal fee is $800.00, generally payable in installments. A filing fee of $50.00 is to be sent to the Tribunal when you return your completed Initial Questionnaire. This filing fee is not refundable and will be credited to the total court fees. If it is decided at the Initial Interview that the Tribunal cannot be of any further assistance to you, no further fee will be required.
If, however, your case is accepted for further investigation, a you will be scheduled for a personal interview. At that time a payment of $150.00 is requested. This will be considered the second payment toward the total fee of $800.00. A suggested payment plan for the balance of the court fees is included with your initial questionnaire. The Tribunal accepts checks, made payable to "The Tribunal," as well as all major credit cards for payment of all or part of the court costs.
The Tribunal realizes that some people legitimately cannot afford these fees. The Tribunal has a process to determine the needs of the person and will reduce its fees accordingly in such cases.

Before anyone can initiate a Process for a Declaration of Nullity, civil divorce for the marriage in question must be obtained and finalized. This completed civil document demonstrates for the Church that the marriage in fact has been definitively broken and is unable to be reconciled.

The Petitioner (the one who is beginning the process) is asked to complete a questionnaire about basic facts of the marriage in question. Documents such as recent baptismal certificates for Roman Catholics and certified marriage and divorce decrees are required for everyone at this time.

The Tribunal will accept the petition if jurisdiction and potential grounds exist. In order for the Tribunal of the Archdiocese to have jurisdiction, either the marriage must have been celebrated within the five counties of the metropolitan area, or at least one of the parties to the marriage must reside within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Potential grounds for a case center upon the intentions a couple has when they enter into marriage concerning fidelity, permanence and openness to children. Grounds also exist concerning the knowledge parties have concerning the Church's teaching and understanding of marriage as well as one's ability to enter into and to fulfill the unique interpersonal relationship of marriage. These canonical grounds find concrete expression in the family and formative experiences of the parties to the marriage, their dating and engagement relationships as well as the cohabitation relationship.

The Petitioner is scheduled to give testimony at the Tribunal offices in the Archdiocesan Office Center with the assistance of a trained auditor. This process takes the format of an interview, based on the preliminary information already supplied to the Tribunal. This necessary interview exists to assist the Petitioner in making his or her petition to the Tribunal. The determination of whether grounds exist is generally made at this time.

The Respondent, or the other party to the marriage, is notified of the existence of this process, as well as the grounds, that is, the basis upon which the Tribunal is considering the request for a Declaration of Nullity. The Respondent is also informed of the officers of the court, as is the Petitioner. The Respondent is given the option of providing written testimony or oral testimony in the case. If the Respondent chooses not to participate in the process after two citations or notifications, the case may continue to proceed.

After providing his or her testimony, the Petitioner is requested to provide the names of four witnesses who can complete a written questionnaire. These witnesses are asked to provide information regarding the parties' family backgrounds, their dating and engagement relationships and their marital history. The witnesses can be family members or friends—ideally a combination of both is helpful.

When the testimony is assembled, the parties may inspect the testimony pertinent to the grounds in the case. This is known as the Publication of the Acts of the case.

After the testimony of the parties and the witnesses has been assembled it is not uncommon to schedule an appointment for the Petitioner with a court-appointed expert such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. The independent assessment of these consultants is beneficial in developing and evaluating potential grounds for individual cases.

After all of the testimony has been compiled, the case is presented to the Defender of the Bond. The ministry or the work of the Defender is to present to the judges arguments in favor of upholding the validity of the marriage in question.

The case is then presented to a three-Judge panel (Tribunal) for a final decision. When the judges have reviewed the case, discussed it and arrived at a final decision, a sentence, or the results of their deliberations, is written. This sentence includes the basic facts and information of the marriage in question provided by the assembled testimony, a pertinent law section concerning the canonical grounds of the case and the judges' decision, based upon the law of the Church and its application to the marriage in question.

If the Tribunal renders an affirmative decision, Church law requires that this decision be ratified, or reviewed, by another Tribunal even if both parties are in favor of a Declaration of Nullity. This is to insure that the rights of each party were respected and the law properly applied by the Tribunal of First Instance (Philadelphia). Decisions of the Philadelphia Tribunal are reviewed by the Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Baltimore (the Second Instance Tribunal). If the Second Instance Tribunal (Baltimore) confirms the Philadelphia Tribunal's decision the parties are then formally notified of the completed case and supplied with formal documentation of the Declaration of Nullity.

If either party is opposed to the decision of the Philadelphia Tribunal, that is, if a Declaration of Nullity is granted or not granted, a formal appeal of this decision of the court of First Instance (Philadelphia) may be made to the Tribunal of Second Instance (Baltimore). Alternatively, an appeal can also be made to the highest Tribunal of the Church, the Roman Rota. There are costs involved for these actions.