Can you give some info on annulments?

[Romcatholic34]

So I have a few questions about Annulment…

What if you were a divorced Catholic and then got “remarried” outside the church without going through the process of Annulment (also had children within the second marriage and not the first) If that person wanted to set things right, go through the annulment process, what would the Church ask of this person, knowing that there are Children involved in the second “marriage” ? This happens to be the circumstances of a family member… Any answers would be greatly appreciated! God Bless!

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

If one were married in the Catholic Church in the first place, then the second marriage would automatically be invalid. One would need to talk to a priest about the circumstances that existed at the time of the wedding to learn if there is a possibility that the first marriage could be invalid. One cannot be validly married to two living people at the same time.

If one is a Catholic and was married outside of the Church, then the marriage would not be valid. One would need to have the marriage tribunal verify that the first marriage was attempted outside of the Church. Then the person would need to be married in the Catholic Church.

The presence of children in the second marriage does not have any impact on the possibility or not of an annulment. The possibility of an annulment is determined by the circumstances in which the first marriage came about, i.e. the emotional maturity of the individuals, how free their decisions to marry were, etc.

I suggest that the person see a local priest regarding this situation.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.