Catholics attending non-Catholic Weddings

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Chrismasfetus

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Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what the Church says in attending non-Catholic weddings. Are Catholics allowed to attend such events? Also, are Catholics allowed to be part of a non-Catholic wedding party? Would it be appropriate to take part as part of the wedding party? (Just a hypothetical situation I was curious about)
Thanks!

:blessyou:

~Christine
 
As a Good Catholic you should get your parish church’s Fathers ok. After that as long as you do not have to do anything wich ould he anti Catholic. Lets see…your in a friends Hindo wedding and you are called to offer food to a god of theirs You are good to go. 🙂 .
 
There would be times you could attend and times you may not. Here is a brief overview article from Catholic exchange. You can read the rest of it on their link. Hope that helps.
Directory on Ecumenical Matters states, “Catholics may be allowed to attend occasionally the liturgical services of other separated brethren if they have reasonable ground, e.g., arising out of public office or function, blood relationship or friendship, etc.,…so long as they are not at variance with Catholic faith” (no. 59).
Continued:Catholic Exchange
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Generally you wouldn’t want to attend a non-Catholic wedding if one of the parties is a Catholic, unless they have received a dispensation.

But if both parties are non-Catholic, their marriage is valid in the eyes of the Catholic church, and there isn’t a problem with you attending.
 
As long as the wedding is between two people who are not Catholic (or a Catholic with a dispensation) and neither were previously married the Marriage would be considered valid. A Catholic can attend this wedding without moral concern. They could be part of the wedding party.

They may NOT however serve in any liturgical function at a protestant service, wedding or otherwise.
 
Br. Rich SFO:
They may NOT however serve in any liturgical function at a protestant service, wedding or otherwise.
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What exactly would be considered a liturgical function? For example, if a Protestant friend wanted you to do a Bible reading at his/her wedding, would that be OK?
 
What we would consider a Liturgical ministry becomes very sticky. Something like Lector, preaching, participating in “sacraments” like acting as Godparents for instance, etc. For a Catholic to participate in a liturgical service other than “for good reason” as a visitor in the congergation would require the specific permission of their pastor or Bishop in some instances.
 
I am actually going to a wedding in July, one of my best friends is getting married. He is a Protestant, technically non-denominational, but not in the sense we know it…he is attracted to Eastern Orthodoxy but has very Calvinistic views. I know, thats a rare one! So he doesnt know where he fits. I think the wedding is in a Presbyterian church. I was wondering, what if they have one of their communion services. Should I not partake in it?
 
It is always wrong for a Catholic to receive “communion” at a non-Catholic church. It’s for the same reason we don’t permit non-Catholics to receive the receive the Eucharist at our Mass.

Doing so implies that we are in agreement (communion) when teh reality is that we have too manydifferences. It also implies that their is no difference between the Real Presence in our Eucharist, and the symbolic presence in their holy communion.
 
Paul W:
Doing so implies that we are in agreement (communion) when teh reality is that we have too manydifferences. It also implies that their is no difference between the Real Presence in our Eucharist, and the symbolic presence in their holy communion.
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So would you say that non-Catholics are not saved? Or did I just read this wrong?
 
Hi, I could use some clarification on the issue of being involved in anything liturgical at a non-Catholic wedding. Does this include singing solos or cantering?

:hmmm: Thanks, Leslie E.
 
Catholics do not use the term “saved” really - if someone were “saved” that would imply that it was a done deal and no more is required while we believe that we must remain in a state of grace in order to achieve salvation. However, the Catholic Church does not teach that non-Catholics cannot go to heaven. I think Paul W only meant that when you take communion it means you are “in communion” with the church you are partaking in. So if we are not in agreement on doctrine and what we are partaking, we should not partake. Does that make sense? I don’t think singing or even being part of the wedding party is considered liturgical. I cannot see the problem with reading a scripture.
 
Paul thank you for your response.
Paul W:
It is always wrong for a Catholic to receive “communion” at a non-Catholic church. It’s for the same reason we don’t permit non-Catholics to receive the receive the Eucharist at our Mass.
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Well I have to disagree with you here. We do not let non Catholics receive because if they do not believe in the Real Presence, then they are sinning against the Body and Blood of Our Lord. But If I received their communion, its just a piece of bread.
Doing so implies that we are in agreement (communion) when teh reality is that we have too manydifferences…
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I know that saying “Amen” at Mass implies that:
A. This is the Body of Christ
B. I am in Communion with Rome

At a Protestant service, A would not matter because they do not believe it is the Real Presence, even if they did we know it is not since they do not have validly ordained priests.

Do Protestant Churches imply “B”?? If so then I will refrain from their communion service.
It also implies that their is no difference between the Real Presence in our Eucharist, and the symbolic presence in their holy communion
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How so?

I’m not trying to be argumentative, just looking for a proper understanding.
 
Leslie,

The Music area is an area that is always being discussed. Many people who sing, or play organ as professionals are hired by protestant churches for weddings and funerals. In most instances this is a one time professional service for hire and does not seem to conflict with anything. However to be hired by the church for their Sunday services or as music director this seems to be more of a grey area. I feel that a Catholic has the obligation to also consider the divisions in Christianity keeping our separated brothers and sisters from returning, and not perpetuate them. Which is why I can’t attend Mass on Saturday at 6:30pm and then teach Sunday school at the Lutheran church or lead the Methodist service on Sunday morning. It would be saying that we are one big happy family when we are not. These issues are discussed in the Church documents on Ecumenism.
 
Cavier can only be obtained from Caspian Sea sturgeon. Sometimes, other fish eggs are passed off as caviar, but among those who know, it’s called “fake caviar,” because there’s really no comparison.

Nevertheless, many people eat fake caviar. Perhaps their pallate is not as discerning, or perhaps they’ve never experienced real caviar and don’t realize what they’re missing.

If you were a gourmand, and someone saw you eating fake caviar, you’d be sending a message that you thought fake caviar is just as good as caviar. Your reputation as a gourmand would suffer.

Although we believe that our Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, Protestants believe that our Eucharist is the same as theirs–nothing more than a symbol. If they believed that we had the True Presence and they had a pale imitation, why would they be content with the imitation?

By consuming their communion, you may think you’re saying that theirs is just a piece of bread, but you’re actually saying that you can’t tell the difference between their piece of bread and our piece of bread. And that implies (at least to them) that maybe there is no difference.

In a sense, consuming their communion IS a sin against the Body and Blood of Our Lord.
 
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