A brief statement from the Vatican does not detail the proposed reforms, but Francis has said that obtaining annulments can be too cumbersome and costly, dragging on for years and costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
"Some procedures are so long and so burdensome," the pontiff said in 2014, "and people give up."
That sentiment is supported by statistics.
Just 61% of African Catholics seeking annulments in 2012 completed the process, according to a study conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. In the more wealthy Western world, where Catholics can afford to hire canon lawyers, 86% received annulments.
"This is not because tribunals in Africa were more likely than those in the Americas to rule contrary to nullity," CARA said in its analysis. "It is more a reflection of more people seeking annulments in Africa than in the Americas not completing the annulment process."
