Advocates Cleric or layperson appointed by the tribunal or the party to the marriage to represent the party and safeguard his or her rights in a canonical court process. An annulment is a declaration by the Catholic Church that after careful investigation, flaws were discovered in the relationship that prevented if from becoming a marriage. An annulment is concerned mainly with the personal and spiritual aspects of marriage. It states that after thorough investigation, the Church has decided that a marriage, as the the Church understands marriage, was not valid.