Annulment and Confession

[KendraDZ1902]

Since having an annulment granted means that you were never really married, would those people need to confess having premarital sex?

This is just a random question that popped in my head. No, I haven’t had an annulment.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

No, and their children aren’t considered illegitimate, either.

 

[aemcpa]

Since having an annulment granted means that you were never really married, would those people need to confess having premarital sex?

This is just a random question that popped in my head. No, I haven’t had an annulment.

A marriage which is thought to be valid by at least one of the spouses, but in fact is not valid, is called a putative marriage. The spouse or spouses who believe in good faith that the marriage is valid have the rights and duties of marriage until invalidity is proven. I would imagine that a spouse who knowingly enters into a marriage he or she knows is invalid, and who deceives the other spouse into thinking it is valid so as obtain the rights of marriage from the other, is considered by the Church to be culpable of sin.

 

[Rachel126]

No. Remember you have to KNOW an action is wrong and choose it anyway in order for it to be a sin. If someone believes in good faith they are actually married, they cannot sin by having sex with their spouse.

 

[Anne_Jane]

The Catholic party would have to confess being in an invalid marriage. That person cannot receive the Eucharist or Reconciliation until they are able to be married in the church. BECAUSE they are “shacking up”, “living in sin” or whatever else you want to call it, BUT they are not married.

 

[aemcpa]

The Catholic party would have to confess being in an invalid marriage. That person cannot receive the Eucharist or Reconciliation until they are able to be married in the church. BECAUSE they are “shacking up”, “living in sin” or whatever else you want to call it, BUT they are not married.

That would only be true in the extremely unlikely scenario that, after divorcing and completing the annulment process and receiving a declaration of nullity, the spouses continued to live together and maintain a sexual relationship.

 

[Anne_Jane]

I was thinking of the case where at least one party is Catholic and “marries” outside of Church before an annulment is received for a previous Catholic marriage. I’ve heard people refer to having the second marriage “blessed”. This is not true, as there was never a true marriage the second time.

 

[aemcpa]

I was thinking of the case where at least one party is Catholic and “marries” outside of Church before an annulment is received for a previous Catholic marriage. I’ve heard people refer to having the second marriage “blessed”. This is not true, as there was never a true marriage the second time.

The OP is referring to whether the parties whose marriage was annulled have to confess having slept with each other during the time when they believed themselves to be married to each other.

 

[NHeath]

Speaking from experience,

When the annulment is finally granted, both of you go to confession before you receive the true Sacrament of Matrimony. Its just a nice, clean start. Especially if you had gotten married anyway years ago and didnt think an annulment would be granted. Living in sin knowingly and willingly until the anullment process is complete is a sin. Its good to confess its necessarry actually.

 

[1ke]

Since having an annulment granted means that you were never really married, would those people need to confess having premarital sex?

This is just a random question that popped in my head. No, I haven’t had an annulment.

No.

 

[RoseMary131]

Since having an annulment granted means that you were never really married, would those people need to confess having premarital sex?

No.

For example: Tom and Mary are both baptized Catholics who marry within the church. They naturally have sexual relations. Maybe they even have children.

Then they divorce and realize they should seek an annulment because “X” was a factor on the day of their wedding in the Church. They are granted the annulment.

To sin, you need to know what you are doing is a sin. Since they felt they were in a valid marriage, they celebrated what they thought was a Sacrament with sexual relations. The sexual relations was within their marriage **that ** they had thought was a valid marriage.

 

[otjm]

Since having an annulment granted means that you were never really married, would those people need to confess having premarital sex?

This is just a random question that popped in my head. No, I haven’t had an annulment.

No, depending on the circumstances.

 

[Brandall]

Speaking of questions that pop into your head, here is mine.

What if a couple had a civil divorce and then they started dating again. If they had “relations”, would it be a sin? Without an annulment, they would still be married in the eyes of the church, so…?

btw, I’m married 25 years and she’ll have to bury me to be free.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Speaking of questions that pop into your head, here is mine.

What if a couple had a civil divorce and then they started dating again. If they had “relations”, would it be a sin? Without an annulment, they would still be married in the eyes of the church, so…?

btw, I’m married 25 years and she’ll have to bury me to be free.

No sin, they are still married. Not just in the eyes of the Church, but by God, because that is who watched as they took their vows.

 

[otjm]

Speaking of questions that pop into your head, here is mine.

What if a couple had a civil divorce and then they started dating again. If they had “relations”, would it be a sin? Without an annulment, they would still be married in the eyes of the church, so…?

A divorce or an annulment granted by the “State” does not impact the marriage as a sacrament.

btw, I’m married 25 years and she’ll have to bury me to be free.

Careful where you go with that one - there’s the old phrase: “That can be arranged!”

 

[KendraDZ1902]

Thanks, y’all!