Jeff
M.
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I was married in the Catholic Church, have
been divorced for 12 years, but have not had
an annulment.
- If I were to enter into a civil marriage
now, what would be my [status|condition]
in the eyes of the Catholic Church?
Jeff
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If I married and divorced, with no annulment, then had a civil marriage, what's my Church status? }
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Jeff —
You said:
I was married
in the Catholic Church, have been
divorced for 12 years, but have not
had an annulment.
If I were to enter
into a civil marriage now, what
would be my [status|condition]
in the eyes of the Catholic Church?
It would depend on the validity
of your first marriage.
If it was a valid first marriage,
your civil marriage would be considered
adulterous.
You wouldn't know until you petition
the Church for an annulment.
If you haven't, I recommend you do
so. It's really not a big thing.
At best, you just need a little patience.
Just make an appointment with the
local pastor at your local Catholic
parish.
Mike
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John
replied:
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Jeff,
In addition to what Mike has said,
if you do get an annulment, you could
then marry in the Church. The Church
doesn't recognize the state's right
to perform marriages, so for a Catholic
to be married by a Justice of the
Peace is not proper under any circumstance.
The best thing to do is to apply
for the annulment. There is no guarantee
that you will get one but the Church
is pretty lenient in granting them
for a variety of reasons.
John
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Hi, Jeff —
To be more precise about John's accurate
statement, the Church doesn't recognize
anyone's right to perform marriage
except the couple themselves! :)
The couple does the marriage; the
state or the Church officially witnesses it.
The Church does not recognize the
state ceremony as valid for a Catholic,
who, as a member of the Body of Christ,
should be married, as such, in the
Church.
Mary Ann
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