Divorce and the Catholic Church

[sonnydaniels]

Hey everyone…I am a new member…I am in the RCIA process of converting to Catholicism and I am very excited to be doing so. I told a friend I would ask you all the following question: “If a person has gotten a divorce, would they still be allowed to go through RCIA?” I couldn’t help my friend with his question, because I am still learning about the Catholic faith…so I am asking all of you to help me please.

Neither him or his wife were Catholic…but I am sure that is not relevant…Divorce is Divorce, regardless if he was married in the Catholic Church, right? Anyway, he is wanting to go through RCIA as well, but he is afraid that they won’t let him due to his divorce. Is it possible to go through RCIA if you have been divorced? If not, would a declaration of Nullity be required prior to be allowed to participate in RCIA?

THis is a topic I have little or know information about, so please feel free to give me any helpful info related to this topic that I can pass on to him…thank you very much in advance. Take care and God Bless you all. Sonny

 

[guse]

I’m divorced and went through RCIA last year and entered the Church this past Easter Vigil. The problem your friend may have is if he is remarried he won’t be able to receive communion. This may be a real stumbling block. The Eucharist is a big reason why many convert to the Church. It provides us with the grace to live a Christian life. However, what really made me decide to join the Church is that I came to believe that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Christ. So, that is where He must want me to be and I wanted to do His will not mine. If he is wanting to join the Church for the same reason as I did, he may be able to accept not receiving communion. Of course, he will need to speak to a priest and the RCIA director about his individual circumstances. Remember not everything is so black and white, our individual circumstances are a factor.

 

[sonnydaniels]

Thanks for the response…I will tell him that. I am joining for the same reason you joined and I am sure my friend has the same motives. You said that he couldn’t take part in the Eucharist if he is remarried…will he be able to take part in the Eucharist until he is married again? If he got the Church to annul his marriage, he could get married in the Church and still receive the Eucharist right? How hard is it to get an annullment and what are the grounds in which they are granted? THanks a lot for the help.

 

[JimG]

First, he can join an RCIA class whether divorced or not. It will only become an issue when it comes time to join the Church.

If he is divorced and not remarried, the divorce should not prevent him from entering the church and receiving communion.

But if in the future, he should want to remarry, then he would need to seek an annulment of his prior marriage. It might be wise to do this in any case, even if a remarriage is not imminent.

JimG

 

[ralphinal]

JimG is correct. Divorce, though bad, is not the problem. Remarrage is. As far as how long an annulment can take, that is hard to say. Simple ones can be quick, ones that require more research or were for a marrage from long ago can take longer. The process must be thorough so that mistakes are not made.

 

[guse]

If your friend has not remarried, he should be allowed to receive communion. I’m divorced but not remarried, so there is no problem. Again, he needs to check with a priest about his particular situation. I agree he should see about an annulment even if he is not currently married. He may want to marry again someday. The diocese that I live in sent me some information on annulments that included a very long application and some of the grounds for a decree of nullity. He should probably call the marriage tribunal of your diocese and someone there should be able to help him.