Kathleen,

You are indeed correct.

Your sister-in-law needs to go through the annulment process. She is currently living in adultery therefore absolution is impossible because she is not displaying a firm purpose of amendment. In other words, she is not repenting. She's simply acknowledging she is in sin.

Additionally, if her second husband was previously married, he also may need to get an annulment.

That said, she should continue to attend Mass without receiving the Eucharist. She should also continue to pray and seek out spiritual counseling. It is entirely possible that she (or he, if an annulment is necessary) can't be granted an annulment. Although, they are frequently granted, there must be a just cause. If no just cause can be found, she will have to choose to either follow Christ or continue in adultery.

These may seem like tough truths for her to hear but they are truths. The Church cannot compromise what She knows to be true. Nevertheless, God will make a way for your sister-in-law if she is willing to embrace the Lord's Mercy and submit to His Lordship over her entire life.

You should encourage her to start living celibately until she finds out whether the marriage can be annulled by the Church.

Under His Mercy,

John DiMascio

Kathleen,

There is one way in which she can receive absolution and all the sacraments.

After starting the annulment process, if she confesses and agrees to live celibately with her present legal husband (and he agrees also), then she can return fully to the Church.

They could continue to live together if there is serious reason to do so. (e.g. welfare of children, need for economic support, sickness, etc.)

If an annulment is denied, she would be allowed to continue living with the man (absent any serious occasion of sin) celibately.

Mary Ann

Hi, Kathy —

They could, but only if they truly repented of their current marriage situation (which, without an annulment, is presumed to be adulterous) and worked out the situation with their confessor.

If they abstained from marital relations until they got an annulment and if there was no danger of scandal, they could return to the sacraments.

Some may ask:

• Is a Catholic who is divorced and remarried, excommunicated?

You are barred from the Eucharist, but this is under the rubric of obstinately persist[ing] in manifest grave sin (Code of Canon Law 915), not under formal excommunication. Anyone in this situation should go to a priest and seek his counsel.

On November 10, 1977, Pope Paul VI abolished the automatic excommunication imposed on divorced American Catholics who remarried. This penalty of excommunication was first handed down by the Plenary Council of American Bishops in 1884.

You can also check out these Vatican documents:

• From the Pontifical Council For Legislative Texts — Declaration
  II. Concerning The Admission To Holy Communion Of Faithful Who Are Divorced And Remarried. [Vatican web site] [EWTN] and
• From the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
  Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the reception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried members of the Faithful. [Vatican web site] [EWTN]

Hope this helps,

Eric