Civil Marriage in itself Sinful?

[J1Militans]

Hello,

Is civil marriage, in and of itself, sinful?

What I mean, more specifically, is:
An engaged Catholic couple get married ONLY by civil law, but do NOT see it as an valid marriage (since it’s not religious), and therefore do NOT live together NOR have sexual relations.
Say, they do this as a legal process only, to speed up some legal issue they need resolved, and plan on still living separate and a good holy life, and get married 6-12 months after either way.

Like, if they need to clear up something legally speaking, but that something can’t wait till the actual Catholic marriage.

Thanks. God bless.

 

[ConstantineTG]

In some countries, religious ministers such as priests do not have the authority from the state to legally marry people. So the couples do have to go through legal marriage first before getting married in the Church.

 

[J1Militans]

But in terms of Canon Law and just spirituality, is a civil marriage in itself sinful?

You hear all over who people married only civlly cannot receive Communion. Is this because of the Civil marriage AND cohabitation (ie, sex), or just because of the cohabitation part?

 

[choliks]

I’m not an expert, but in my understanding: since civil marriage is not sacramental and invalid in the eyes of the Church, it can only be sinful if it’s done opposite to what you described.

Any relations done without the Sacrament of Matrimony, is considered sinful.

Is civil marriage in itself sinful? Not really. It’s the relations that are sinful.

 

[Vico]

Hello,

Is civil marriage, in and of itself, sinful?

What I mean, more specifically, is:
An engaged Catholic couple get married ONLY by civil law, but do NOT see it as an valid marriage (since it’s not religious), and therefore do NOT live together NOR have sexual relations.
Say, they do this as a legal process only, to speed up some legal issue they need resolved, and plan on still living separate and a good holy life, and get married 6-12 months after either way.

Like, if they need to clear up something legally speaking, but that something can’t wait till the actual Catholic marriage.

Thanks. God bless.

The priest should be consulted first before doing this, because if my not be possible to be married due to impedimements that are not dispensable, and since a nuptial investigation has not occurred, it may later be found that one of the couple are not free to marry. In countries where the Church is not an authority for marriage, I believe the priests know the proper way to go about it. If a catholic priest is recognised as an authority by the civil law, then he will have to witness the marriage certificate. There is only one of those of record. To have a civil marriage first will mean the marriage certificate will not be signed by a Catholic priest or deacon. People will reasonably presume that conjugal relations are occuring so some may be scandalized. A civil marriage first will require a radical sanation or convalidation, and going without communion for a period, because of possible scandal. Because of possible scandal, these are usually not something to celebrate.

Scandal is sinful, and regarding a grave issue, mortally so. Scandal is giving a bad example. It is wrong because it is uncharitible, leading others into error.

 

[ConstantineTG]

But in terms of Canon Law and just spirituality, is a civil marriage in itself sinful?

You hear all over who people married only civlly cannot receive Communion. Is this because of the Civil marriage AND cohabitation (ie, sex), or just because of the cohabitation part?

There has to be a good reason to marry in the civil court, like that I mentioned. It shouldn’t be to undermine the Sacramental nature of marriage.

I know a couple who got married in civil court because the intention was that the guy was going to petition the girl for residency in the US. So they got married, guy left, worked in the US. When the papers came out, the guy flew back to country of origin, got married in Church, then they both moved to the US.

That is not a sin. They have a good reason (to get immigration papers going) and they never cohabited until they actually got married in Church.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

Hello,

Is civil marriage, in and of itself, sinful?

What I mean, more specifically, is:
An engaged Catholic couple get married ONLY by civil law, but do NOT see it as an valid marriage (since it’s not religious), and therefore do NOT live together NOR have sexual relations.
Say, they do this as a legal process only, to speed up some legal issue they need resolved, and plan on still living separate and a good holy life, and get married 6-12 months after either way.

Like, if they need to clear up something legally speaking, but that something can’t wait till the actual Catholic marriage.

Thanks. God bless.

NO.

 

[Flyingg]

I’m not an expert, but in my understanding: since civil marriage is not sacramental and invalid in the eyes of the Church, it can only be sinful if it’s done opposite to what you described.

Any relations done without the Sacrament of Matrimony, is considered sinful.

Is civil marriage in itself sinful? Not really. It’s the relations that are sinful.

In this case, most people of the earth or at least those coming from a civil marriage alone are children of a ‘sinful relation’ since it was not made as a church sacrament? What is the view of the church concerning non catholic marriages?

 

[Phemie]

In this case, most people of the earth or at least those coming from a civil marriage alone are children of a ‘sinful relation’ since it was not made as a church sacrament? What is the view of the church concerning non catholic marriages?

Only Catholics are bound to marry in the Catholic Church or get a dispensation to do otherwise.

Non-Catholics are considered validly married if there was no impediment to their marriage (if neither had been married before, were not closely related, etc.) regardless of whether they were married in their church or at city hall, as long as their own church recognizes the marriage (I’m thinking here of members of the Orthodox Churches who, unlike Catholics, must be married by a priest).

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

But in terms of Canon Law and just spirituality, is a civil marriage in itself sinful?

You hear all over who people married only civlly cannot receive Communion. Is this because of the Civil marriage AND cohabitation (ie, sex), or just because of the cohabitation part?

Swell. More condemnation.

I was civilly married for TWENTY YEARS before becoming Catholic. Guess I’m going to Hell for that, right?

 

[1ke]

Hello,

Is civil marriage, in and of itself, sinful?

What I mean, more specifically, is:
An engaged Catholic couple get married ONLY by civil law, but do NOT see it as an valid marriage (since it’s not religious), and therefore do NOT live together NOR have sexual relations.
Say, they do this as a legal process only, to speed up some legal issue they need resolved, and plan on still living separate and a good holy life, and get married 6-12 months after either way.

Like, if they need to clear up something legally speaking, but that something can’t wait till the actual Catholic marriage.

Thanks. God bless.

Following the marriage laws of the Church is one of the precepts of the Church.

Such a person would need to consult their priest.

 

[Usige]

Swell. More condemnation.

I was civilly married for TWENTY YEARS before becoming Catholic. Guess I’m going to Hell for that, right?

Nope. Assuming that neither you nor your wife were Catholic at the time of your marriage, the Church assumes a valid marriage. That assumes that all the other conditions of marriage were also met (i.e. first marriage for both, full consent, etc.)

 

[Vico]

Swell. More condemnation.

I was civilly married for TWENTY YEARS before becoming Catholic. Guess I’m going to Hell for that, right?

The Catholic form of marriage applies to Catholics only. For non-Christians, and non-Catholics, each has their own valid celebration.

 

[FrDavid96]

Hello,

Is civil marriage, in and of itself, sinful?

What I mean, more specifically, is:
An engaged Catholic couple get married ONLY by civil law, but do NOT see it as an valid marriage (since it’s not religious), and therefore do NOT live together NOR have sexual relations.
Say, they do this as a legal process only, to speed up some legal issue they need resolved, and plan on still living separate and a good holy life, and get married 6-12 months after either way.

Like, if they need to clear up something legally speaking, but that something can’t wait till the actual Catholic marriage.

Thanks. God bless.

In the scenario you’ve described, it would indeed be sinful.

In that case, the couple is committing fraud by entering into a civil marriage just to obtain a piece of paper (a marriage license). That’s lying and lying is a sin.

 

[1ke]

Swell. More condemnation.

I was civilly married for TWENTY YEARS before becoming Catholic. Guess I’m going to Hell for that, right?

Oh brother. Please show where anyone condemned you.

The OP is speaking about CATHOLICS.

As has been said on this forum about a million times, non-Catholics marry validly when they marry civilly. No one said anything on this thread about non-Catholics.

 

[1ke]

In this case, most people of the earth or at least those coming from a civil marriage alone are children of a ‘sinful relation’ since it was not made as a church sacrament?

This thread is not about non-Catholics. The question asked was about CATHOLICS.

Please do not make assumptions.

What is the view of the church concerning non catholic marriages?

Non-Catholics are not bound by Cathlic Church law. They marry validly when they marry civilly. The Orthodox are bound by their own Bishops’ authority to bind them in the form of marriage.

 

[Flyingg]

This thread is not about non-Catholics. The question asked was about CATHOLICS.

Please do not make assumptions.

Non-Catholics are not bound by Cathlic Church law. They marry validly when they marry civilly. The Orthodox are bound by their own Bishops’ authority to bind them in the form of marriage.

Great! No one is making assumptions.

 

[Spirithound]

Swell. More condemnation.

I was civilly married for TWENTY YEARS before becoming Catholic. Guess I’m going to Hell for that, right?

Pardon? Where precisely in the post below is there any assertion of fact rather than assertion of hearsay?

But in terms of Canon Law and just spirituality, is a civil marriage in itself sinful?

You hear all over who people married only civlly cannot receive Communion. Is this because of the Civil marriage AND cohabitation (ie, sex), or just because of the cohabitation part?

 

[Will_S]

In the scenario you’ve described, it would indeed be sinful.

In that case, the couple is committing fraud by entering into a civil marriage just to obtain a piece of paper (a marriage license). That’s lying and lying is a sin.

I don’t see any fraud at all in what the original poster is suggesting.

He’s talking about people who fully intend to marry in the Church and live as a Catholic married couple for the rest of their lives, but who have some legal reason to obtain a civil marriage before their real marriage.

As an example, imagine a man and a woman from different countries, where one of the two would have a very difficult time gaining entry to the country of the other unless they are married. In this case, the civil marriage is going to be all that matters to the government officials involved anyway, so they will have to obtain a civil marriage no matter what.

Given that fact, why shouldn’t they be able to choose to have the actual real Catholic marriage in the destination country, which then by necessity must take place some time after the civil marriage?

Personally I don’t see a problem here as long as the couple understands that they are not truly married until the Catholic wedding, and behaves accordingly.

 

[Will_S]

Following the marriage laws of the Church is one of the precepts of the Church.

Such a person would need to consult their priest.

The marriage laws of the Church do not exclude the possibility of civil marriage for Catholics, however they exclude the possibility that civilly married Catholics are actually validly married.

This is necessarily the case because there are many countries where only civil marriage is recognized by the state. The U.S. is different than most places in that a religious official can validly sign a civil marriage certificate.