Newspaper Page Text
i
PAGE 2—'The Georgia Bulletin, June 1, 1972
YOUNGEST OFFICIALIS
Marriage Problems Are Task
For Tribunal’s Fr. Dillon
BY MICHAEL MOTES
At the age of 28, Fr. Edward Dillon is the youngest
priest in the country to hold the position of officialis
of a marriage tribunal. The Metropolitan Tribunal is
that office of the Archdiocese of Atlanta which deals
with marriage cases and, as officialis, Fr. Dillon heads
a panel of judges which either grants an annulment
from the Atlanta office or prepares a case to be dealt
with in Rome.
The process of a Catholic
obtaining an annulment or
dissolution is a long and
complicated one. The average
length of time required is
between seven and eight
months, according to Fr.
Dillon, but some cases take
much longer. The record
length of time in Atlanta was
13 years.
Fr. Dillon works with two
types of marriage cases,
formal and informal. To date
this year, the tribunal has
finished about 30 formal
cases and the officialis
anticipates that by the end of
the year about 60 cases will
have been completed.
Both formal and informal
cases initially are dealt with
in the same manner. The
applicants are first required
to fill out a detailed
questionnaire. This is studied
carefully by the tribunal and
then witnesses’ testimonies
are taken.
Obtaining the witnesses’
statements is one of the most
time-consuming factors in
marriage cases. Quite often
■S/WVWVWWWWWWWWWWVWVWWW
the witness lives outside the
archdiocese and must be dealt
with through the mail. A
priest in the area where the
witness lives is asked to help
with the questionnaire or
statement of the witness. The
priest acts as consultant to
the witness, thus making the
statement an official
ecclesiastical document once
the priest has signed it.
Fr. Dillon pointed out two
changes that will soon come
into effect in an effort to
speed up the process.
Witnesses’ testimonies will be
taped on an experimental
basis. The judges will then
tape their comments, rather
than the present form of
preparing written
observations.
Another experiment will
be to mail questionnaires
directly to a witness, rather
than having a priest take the
testimonies. The witness can
either go to a priest or have
the document signed before a
notary public, thus making it
a civil document, which
would be admissible in the
L £? : /i
if % n t
,, ■ # y
(Instruction
Available)
PAR 3
GOLF
Next Door To
Goliland
Motor Lodge
(Take The
Chamblee-
Tucker Exit)
1/2 Price
For Guests
Solid (ZomfrnC
Each room has color TV, Radio and Music
WalEto-Wall carpeting. . .separate dressing room
Tub V shower bath with shower doors. . .and telephone
connection in bath room
Percale sheets and pillow cases
Self dialing phone
Reasonable Prices
tfotl Mattel
MOTOR LODGE
Children Under 12 No Charge
One Exit N. Of St. Pius
3701 Northeast Expressway
Doraville, Georgia 30340
(Suburban Atlanta) 404 451-4811
wsvvvwavw»vvwuw/i
As a service to our readers, the
BULLETIN will periodically feature
profiles of archdiocesan offices.
marriage case.
Once the proper
documents and testimonies
have been obtained, the case
goes before a panel of three
judges. One priest acts as
advocate, arguing for the
dissolution of the marriage. A
priest acting as defender
argues with the advocate. Fr.
Dillon explained the process
as being similar to the Federal
Court of Appeals. Statements
ranging from four to five
pages to many times that
number are read and
discussed. When a decision
has been made in Atlanta, it
is sent to Baltimore, for
confirmation of the Atlanta
decision.
During the time the tribunal
is dealing with a case, the
applicants who filed for
dissolution are asked not to
contact their witnesses.
When working with
informal cases, the tribunal
deals with involved parties
almost entirely through the
mail, Fr. Dillon explained. A
person who has been married
before or who wishes to
marry someone who has been
previously wed approaches
his parish priest. The priest
then fills out a questionnaire
and sends it to the tribunal.
Fr. Dillon then writes to the
petitioner asking him to sign
a formal petition requesting
the tribunal to declare the
previous marriage null.
Witnesses are then sent
questionnaires. Approximat
ely 30 informal cases have
been handled by the tribunal
this year.
Among the general areas
into which marriages that the
tribunal has been asked to
dissolve are divided are (1)
The Pauline Privilege in which
two people who were never
baptized have married and
one later desires to be
baptized (dealt with in
Atlanta). (2) Privilege of
Faith in which a baptized
non-Catholic marries a person
who was never baptized and
then wants to become
Catholic and (3) A marriage
which was never consumated,
which is usually between two
baptized Catholics, both of
these cases are sent to Rome.
Cases can fall into other areas
depending on the grounds on
which the dissolution or
annulment is sought.
In addition to Atlanta
cases, Fr. Dillon is currently
trying cases for the dioceses
of Charlotte and Raleigh.
Bishop Lynch of Raleigh
comes to Atlanta about every
two months to confer with
Dr. Dillon. Cases can be tried
in other dioceses, provided
permission is obtained from
the ordinary and officialis of
the diocese in which the
petitioner lives and the
1972 - 1972 - 1972 - 1972 - 19?2 - 1972 1972 - 1972 - 1972 - 1972
- 1972 - 1972 - 1972 - 1972 - 1972 - 1972 1972- 1972 - 1972 -
ordinary and officialis of the
diocese in which the case is to
be tried.
Although divorce is
certainly no laughing matter,
Fr. Dillon did recall a couple
of amusing cases. One
involved a petitioner who had
been married “quite a
number of times” and could
not remember the order in
which the various spouses
occurred.
Fr. Dillon says that the
average couple petitioning for
divorce are in their 20s and
have been married five to six
years. The most common
ground is “defect in form,”
which means that they were
married by someone other
than a priest.
The officialis has some
interesting comments on
marriage and the purpose of
the tribunal.
“Tribunals in general must
get out of the rut of public
image,” he says. “We must
work to save marriages, rather
than dissolve them.”
He would like to see a
series of “realistic marriages
courses” being taught. He
currently is taking part in
Pre-Cana Conferences held at
Sacred Heart Church. The
conference consists of four
speakers offering different
programs. A priest deals with
liturgy and the sacrament of
marriage. A doctor discusses
medical and sexual asnects of
marriage. A married couple,
who as sociologists, lecture
on marriage. And either Fr.
Dillon or a substitute
discusses the psychology of
marriage. By the end of the
summer, Fr. Dillon hopes
that other courses of this
FR. DILLON CONFERS with secretary
type can be established.
“Marital problems are very
serious throughout the
country,” he says. “Marriage
is in very bad shape and
currently one out of every
four marriages ends in
divorce. I don’t think that we
can solve the nation’s
marriage problems, but we
could help some through
more counselling.
“By the time a couple
comes to the tribunal, it is
usually too late to save the
marriage. In marriage
everyone becomes an expert.
They get a book or read Anne
Landers and think that they
can solve their own problems.
We need to get couples to
start over once they begin to
have difficulties. Most
marriages break up because of
small problems that have
gone unaided over the years.
If people would only
approach marriage
realistically, knowing that
they will have problems and
talk things over there would
probably be fewer divorces.
There is an amazing similarity
between marriage and cancer.
If you get to the trouble in
time, there is a good chance
both could be saved.”
With Fr. Dillon as its
presiding officer, the
Metropolitan Tribunal
consists of Fr. Eusebius
Beltran, Msgr. R. Donald
Kiernan, Msgr. John F.
McDonough, Mrgr. John
Stapleton, Fr. Joseph Ware
and Fr. Joseph Beltran as pro
synodal judges; Fr. Thomas
Kenny, Fr. Michael Woods
and Fr. James Fennessy,
defenders of the bond: and
Frs. Joe Sanches, Desmond
Daly, and Liam Tuffy,
advocates. Carmel Whitcomb
is secretary to Fr. Dillon and
an ecclesiastical notary.
As of this week, Fr.
Vincent Mulvin is working at
the tribunal on a full-time
basis.
MANY TELEPHONE CALLERS seek officialis’ advice about marriage.
(PHOTOS by James Brown)
Carmel Whitcomb about business of the day
WAR FILM
Suspended Sentences
Given Buffalo Five
BUFFALO, N.Y. (NC) — A trial marked by a film
of the war and by testimony of a Vietnamese woman,
several priests and a Vietnam veteran ended with
suspended sentences for five Catholic war protesters.
The five, who cal!
themselves “The Buffalo,”
were place on one year
probation each by Judge
John T. Curtin. They had
raided a draft board here last
summer.
Judge Curtin told the five
- Charles Darst and his wife
Maureen, Jeremiah Horrigan,
James Martin and Ann
Masters -- that they could
continue public war protests
- within the law.
The judge said that he set
the rules of evidence aside
during the trial so the
defendants “could get your
message across. It was an
important message.”
They introduced a film
which showed American
B-52s bombing in Vietnam,
bomb craters, burning
villages, and forests defoliated
by chemical bombs. The film
also showed U.S. soldiers
beating and kicking a prisoner
and then machinegunning
him.
One of the highpoints in
the trial came during U.S.
Attorney James W. Grable’s
cross-examination of Fr.
David Toolen, assistant
professor of religious studies
at Canisius College.
Grable, a 1963 graduate of
Canisius and a Catholic
himself, asked Fr. Toolen
whether he believed that a
person who held the Vietnam
War to be immoral could
undertake anti-war activities,
even if those
violated the law.
activities
Answered Fr. Toolen:
“Not that he can, Mr. Grable,
but he must . . .he has a
positive duty . . .He must
resist the law.”
Asked by the prosecutor if
he would condone such an
action, Fr. Toolen replied:
“Yes I would.”
Another defense witness,
army veteran Richard Lee,
admitted participating in
torturing Vietnamese in
efforts to elicit information.
Judge Curtin asked if he had
informed his commanding
officers of the tortures he
witnessed. Lee replied that
two of his commanders were
present while some of the
tortures took place.
“I don’t feel there is any
recourse. Essentially, we are
trained to do these things. It’s
the policy of the army,” Lee
declared.
Judge Curtin told the five
to work within the law to
achieve their ends, and that
by doing so “your purpose in
wanting to end the war will
be far better served.” He said,
“writing, speechmaking,
campaigning - it’s hard work,
it’s slow going, but it’s
effective.”
Judge Curtin said that
working against the war is
“certainly . . .something more
people should do. Of course
the Vietnam War is a horror.”
A CAMPER'S DREAM
Diamond Lure
EUIJAY, GEORGIA 30540
MEMBERSHIP ONLY
Call Today: 873-3017
Outdoor Recreation Excellence By
THE W ILLIAM FELTON COMPAND
TRIBUNAL CASES are posted on bulletin board by secretary Nancy Elkourie.
by J.L. Phillips
Original Oils Prints for Framing
Elegant Custom Framing
Custom Decorative & Table Accessories
D’optique, Plaquing
Modern Glass and Plexiglas
Come browse for that something else:
, by J.L. Phillips
5400 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee
Phone 451 -6120
(New Peachtree is the road behind DeKalb Airport)