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Anonymous Rosy wrote:

Hi, guys —

I was married in an Orthodox church and I had a Catholic there to witness the wedding.
Unfortunately, I got divorced several years later.

  • If I remarry outside of the Church, am I committing a mortal sin that cannot be forgiven?

Rosy

  { If I remarry outside of the Church, am I committing a mortal sin that cannot be forgiven? }

Bob replied:

Dear Rosy,

I’m not sure I get all the particulars of your circumstance, so you should talk to a priest.  

In general, Catholics who have been divorced need to seek an annulment before “remarrying”.  

A declaration of nullity basically says that there was some flaw in the original marriage that prevented it from being a sacramentally binding covenant, therefore God never made it an indissoluble union.  That’s kind of like never having been married in the first place, at least in the sight of God, so therefore you are free to marry.  

Before you get involved in another marriage, sort this out with the counsel of the Church.  

Also, there is no such thing as an unforgivable mortal sin, only unrepentant sins (when you die — that is the final call), which are the ones we don’t give to God to fix.  

So, take a little patience and God will help in this circumstance and give you clarity on how to move ahead.

Peace,

Bob Kirby
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