The Catholic Church across Yorkshire's historic West Riding since 1878

The Catholic Church across Yorkshire's historic West Riding since 1878

Chancery

The work of Chancery is to deal with the administration of Canon Law from Baptism to Marriage.

The basic role of the Chancellor is one of administration within the Curia.  However, in the Diocese of Leeds (as in many other dioceses) the Chancellor is mandated by the Bishop to grant dispensations regarding marriages (e.g. the permission for a Catholic to marry an unbaptised person).  The Chancellor also oversees the paperwork of Catholic marriages which take place abroad.   Usually contact with the Chancery would be through your local priest.

CONTACT THE CHANCELLOR:

The Very Reverend Provost John S Aveyard
Diocese of Leeds
Hinsley Hall
62 Headingley Lane
Leeds, LS6 2BX

Tel: +44 113 261 8020

Email: chancellor@dioceseofleeds.org.uk
Web: www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk

Over the last year, our Chancery department has enabled the following:

63 Dispensations for Disparity of Worship (allowing a Catholic to marry an unbaptised person).

4 Dispensations from Canonical Form (allowing a Catholic to marry in a non-Catholic church).

34 permissions for priests to convalidate marriages i.e. permission so that priests may validate marriages that otherwise the Church cannot recognise.

17 declarations of invalidity of marriages of Catholics because they lacked Canonical Form i.e. the Catholic married ‘outside the Church’.

1 declaration of invalidity of marriage because of ‘prior bond’ i.e. one of the parties to a marriage had already been married.

45 marriage papers processed for marriages to take  place outside of England and Wales.

 

Tribunal

The Tribunal’s work continues to benefit people who are divorced and wish to become Catholics, and divorced Catholics who wish to partake of the Sacraments and/or remarry in the Church.  The Tribunal is supported in its work by lay volunteers.

The annulment process can take between 12 and 18 months.  During the Year of Mercy the Holy Father laid out recommendations for a quicker and more merciful process.   This places more responsibility on the Diocesan Bishop and Judicial Vicar.  As has been urged by Pope Francis, fees are no longer charged for this key pastoral work.

Tribunal helps people anxious about bureaucracy that could affect their lives and relationships.  When difficult cases are resolved, people can feel reunited with their Church and able to renew their relationship with the Faith through the Sacraments.

The Judicial Vicar is Mgr Patrick Hennessy and the Associate Judicial Vicar Mgr Andrew Summersgill, but in the first instance, all enquiries should be directed to the Tribunal Administrator,  Jacqui A Atkinson.

The office of the Leeds Diocesan Marriage Tribunal is located at:

Hinsley Hall
62 Headingley Lane
Leeds 
LS6 2BX

Telephone: 0113 261 8029
Email: tribunal@dioceseofleeds.org.uk