John
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I am 51 and have been divorced for eight years.
I am not in a relationship nor do I ever
see myself in one.
- Will this prevent me from becoming a Catholic?
Neither one of us were baptized when we were
married, but I was baptized between the time
she filed for divorce and when it was granted.
I have seen similar questions in 100 different
variations and have seen 100 different responses.
I really want to raise my son in the Catholic
Church. Nevertheless, if I am not allowed to receive
Holy Communion, it would be difficult to remain
in the Church.
John
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If I'm divorced, not remarried but was baptized, can I become Catholic and receive Communion? }
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Eric
replied:
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John —
A divorce is only an issue when there
is a remarriage. If you remain unmarried
and abstinent, there will absolutely be no issue, so welcome to the Catholic
Church!
The reason for the problem is that
Christ doesn't recognize divorce
(and neither do we), thus if you
have relations with another woman
before your spouse dies, you are
formally committing adultery, at
least until it is established that
the first marriage was null and void
from the beginning.
Consequently,
if you do not have relations, there
is nothing stopping you from entering
the Church.
Eric
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Hi, John —
I would add that if your wife was
unhappy with you becoming baptized,
you may have grounds for dissolution
of the marriage by the Pauline Privilege.
In any case, Eric is right — there
is no obstacle to you becoming Catholic
now, and receiving Holy Communion.
If
you wish to marry again, you would
have to have your previous marriage reviewed by the Church.
Mary Ann
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