The Marriage Tribunal of the Diocese of St. Petersburg serves to study marriages that have ended in divorce. The goal of these studies is to determine if a particular marriage may be declared invalid according to Canon Law.  

Central to the responsibility is proclaiming the sanctity and permanence of marriage. While carefully protecting the teaching of Jesus on marriage and its indissolubility, the Church also recognizes that many marriages today end in the tragedy of divorce. Yet, for many of these people their faith and their Church remain important to them. Nor does the Church abandon them.

In its pastoral concern, the Church provides an ecclesiastical tribunal whose function is to evaluate the validity of the failed marriage in the light of Scripture, Tradition, and Church law. In many cases, the Church is able to grant a Decree of Invalidity (annulment). This process helps heal the anger and disappointment with one’s self and with one’s former spouse. It often brings closure to the hurtful memories. It frees a Catholic to marry again or to have a second marriage convalidated by the Church, thus restoring the Catholic to the full sacramental life of the Church.