Dear Barbara,

Thanks for the question.  

You have not committed a mortal sin because too many factors obscure the necessary conditions for that (your culpability is limited and even less sense of scandal given today’s cultural climate).

What I would do at this juncture is have a conversation with her (at some point when the timing is right)  and let her know that her marriage is not valid in the eyes of the Church. She ought to consider rethinking that for:

• the sake of her faith
• her relationship to Christ
• her husband, and
• any future children they may have.  
  

She can’t receive the Blessed Sacrament until she makes this right.  It is an act of love and charity to admonish the sinner, and God may be calling you to be His loving voice in her life.

Marriage itself is under attack and I’m sure that she wants to strengthen hers as best she can.

Make that your selling point!

Peace,

Barbara,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

The answer depends on several things. First of all, it depends on whether your granddaughter and her husband were Catholic.

• If not, and if this was their first marriage, then it is not a problem.
• If they were, it depends on whether they got a dispensation from the bishop.

In this situation, this is unlikely, but possible.

This also depends on whether they were free to marry, or divorced from a living spouse.

Finally, it depends on how aware you were of any irregularities.

• If you assumed that everything was legitimate, you could not have committed a mortal sin.
• If, however, you knew that this was an illicit wedding, and freely decided to attend anyway regardless of any spiritual concerns, it could be a mortal sin.

If you have any doubts, I urge you to discuss it with your confessor.

Eric