Divorce & Remarriage in the Catholic Church

[Truth_Faith13]

Whats the teaching of the Catholic Church on divorce & remarriage?

Specifically I have been looking at the bible verses which seem to suggest that adultery & abandonment by a non believer frees the spouse from the marriage bond and therefore would permit remarriage?

I should probably state i have no intention of getting a divorce! Thank you

(Apologies for not posting on forums in last couple of months - rough pregnancy!)

 

[Della]

(Apologies for not posting on forums in last couple of months - rough pregnancy!)

I wanted to respond to this first. I hope you are feeling better and that if you haven’t yet delivered that all goes well with the remainder of your pregency and with the delivery. :yup:

Whats the teaching of the Catholic Church on divorce & remarriage?

Specifically I have been looking at the bible verses which seem to suggest that adultery & abandonment by a non believer frees the spouse from the marriage bond and therefore would permit remarriage?

I should probably state i have no intention of getting a divorce! Thank you

I’ll explain the best I can. No doubt others will want to comment. The Church takes all of Scripture into consideration when determining sound doctrine. In doing so she has taught from the beginning that marriage is a life long commitment that cannot be dissolved by man. Every marriage is considered valid until it is challenged for good cause. All Catholics are bound by canon law to marry in the Church. Non-Catholics are not so bound, which means all non-Catholic marriages are considered valid.

Having stated that though, the Church recognizes that sometimes people enter into marriage without the proper understanding, actually unable to contract a marriage (for various reasons), never intended to keep their marriages vows, etc. If a marriage is challenged the one challenging it takes their concerns first to the priest, who, if he agrees, may send it on to the diocesan marriage tribunal to consider and decide if an annulment is warranted.

Annulments are recognitions that no valid marriage existed at the time of the marriage. This in no way means that the children are considered illegitimate–just to anticipate the question.

 

[Corki]

Whats the teaching of the Catholic Church on divorce & remarriage?

**Specifically I have been looking at the bible verses which seem to suggest that adultery & abandonment by a non believer frees the spouse from the marriage bond and therefore would permit remarriage?
**
I should probably state i have no intention of getting a divorce! Thank you

(Apologies for not posting on forums in last couple of months - rough pregnancy!)

To the bolded, the Church teaches that if one of the spouses is not a baptized Christian (non-believer), the marriage can be valid but not Sacramental. If the non-Christian spouse was to abandon the Christian spouse, it is sometimes possible to dissolve the marriage in favor of the faith so that the Christian spouse can then marry a Christian. (Petrine Privelege)

The ideal of Christian marriage is between two baptized spouses. Only this pairing is **both **Sacramental and indissoluble.

 

[edwest2]

Here is an article that I think you and others would find helpful:

archatl.com/offices/tribunal/drm_c.html

I really think talking to a priest is the best option for situations not covered by the article.

Best,
Ed

 

[EasterJoy]

Whats the teaching of the Catholic Church on divorce & remarriage?

Specifically I have been looking at the bible verses which seem to suggest that adultery & abandonment by a non believer frees the spouse from the marriage bond and therefore would permit remarriage?

I should probably state i have no intention of getting a divorce! Thank you

(Apologies for not posting on forums in last couple of months - rough pregnancy!)

You’ll get the most informed answers to your question on the Liturgy and Sacraments forum.

Adultery within a valid marriage can free the innocent spouse from the duties of marriage, such as living the common conjugal life, but that does not mean the innocent spouse is free to marry someone else. As for the business with non-believers, you’ll want to research into the Petrine privilege and the Pauline privilege for more information about that.

 

[Robyn_p]

In addition to what other posters have already said, here’s the Church teaching from the Catechism, in case you want it straight from the horses mouth so to speak:

1638 “From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament.”

1640 Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God’s fidelity. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.

So basically, if it’s a valid, sacramental marriage, nothing can dissolve that union except death.

Hope that’s a help. Glad to see you posting again by the way.

 

[Della]

I forgot to add that no annulments are considered unless the couple has had a civil divorce first. The Church wishes to keep marriage relationships intact as much as possible and sees marriages as valid, so she never initiates annulment procedures without the couple obtaining a civil divorce first.

 

[Vico]

Whats the teaching of the Catholic Church on divorce & remarriage?

Specifically I have been looking at the bible verses which seem to suggest that adultery & abandonment by a non believer frees the spouse from the marriage bond and therefore would permit remarriage?

I should probably state i have no intention of getting a divorce! Thank you

(Apologies for not posting on forums in last couple of months - rough pregnancy!)

Per Catholic teaching, the only marriages that could be dissolved are the unconsummated sacrament of marriage and a natural marriage (via the Pauline Privilege where neither party was a Christian or a Catholic or the rarely granted Petrine Privilege where a Christian has married a non-Christian).

 

[Truth_Faith13]

Thanks for all your replies.

So basically two baptised Catholics married in the church cannot get an annulment but can separate for certain reasons?

Della - I’m feeling much better thankyou! Still have three months to go!

 

[manualman]

Baptized catholics who married each other may receive a declaration of nullity if it later turns out that some serious impediment existed from the beginning that prevented the marriage from ever really being a marriage.

For example, a woman I know married a man who SAID he was open to the possibility of children, but the reality was that he perpetually refused to ever have non-contraceptive relations. In reality he never intended to EVER be open to having kids. He essentially defrauded her and withheld consent to what marriage really IS. The priest doesn’t create the marriage, nor the government license, nor the white dress or fancy party. It’s the free and willing consent of woman and man making lifelong vows to each other. If that’s missing, it’s not a marriage, even if everything LOOKS correct at the surface level.

 

[Della]

Thanks for all your replies.

So basically two baptised Catholics married in the church cannot get an annulment but can separate for certain reasons?

Della - I’m feeling much better thankyou! Still have three months to go!

I’m glad you are feeling better, although I’m not sure why. Are you getting married in three months to a Catholic and so want to know if your marriage would be considered sacramental by the Church? It would help us respond to your concerns if we know more details–if you wish to share them.

I must not have explained things very well. Two baptized Catholics who marry in the Church can get an annulment if there was an impediment to marriage, such as lack of intent to fulfill marriage vows, too closely related, and other such hindrances.

If you are not Catholic and are marrying a Catholic you must have a priest or deacon officiate or have permission from your fiance’s bishop to marry outside the Church or your fiance will have grounds for an annulment.

If you have serious concerns about getting married in the Church you should iron these out well beforehand. Are you taking the Cana preparation course, for intance. If so, this is one of the issues you should raise. In any case, talk to the priest about this because you can tell him all your reservations, if you have any, and discuss your concerns. He is there to help you, so by all means take advantage of his knowledge and advice before you get married.

All the best to you and your fiance. God bless you.

 

[Truth_Faith13]

I’m glad you are feeling better, although I’m not sure why. Are you getting married in three months to a Catholic and so want to know if your marriage would be considered sacramental by the Church? It would help us respond to your concerns if we know more details–if you wish to share them.

I must not have explained things very well. Two baptized Catholics who marry in the Church can get an annulment if there was an impediment to marriage, such as lack of intent to fulfill marriage vows, too closely related, and other such hindrances.

If you are not Catholic and are marrying a Catholic you must have a priest or deacon officiate or have permission from your fiance’s bishop to marry outside the Church or your fiance will have grounds for an annulment.

If you have serious concerns about getting married in the Church you should iron these out well beforehand. Are you taking the Cana preparation course, for intance. If so, this is one of the issues you should raise. In any case, talk to the priest about this because you can tell him all your reservations, if you have any, and discuss your concerns. He is there to help you, so by all means take advantage of his knowledge and advice before you get married.

All the best to you and your fiance. God bless you.

Sorry for the confusion! I’m already married and have no intention of divorcing him. He is an atheist but a wonderful man. I was just asking out of curiosity, been doing a lot of research on Catholicism lately and just work through different topics one by one…sometimes returning to a topic. I’m a Christian but not attending a church at moment. Feel drawn to Catholicism but not quite ready to take the plunge but I can’t go back to protestantism either.

My rough pregnancy has been due to hyperemesis (acute sickness) but I’ve regained my energy the last couple of weeks! I have three months left of my pregnancy! (You had wondered in your first response if I had delivered)

 

[Della]

Sorry for the confusion! I’m already married and have no intention of divorcing him. He is an atheist but a wonderful man. I was just asking out of curiosity, been doing a lot of research on Catholicism lately and just work through different topics one by one…sometimes returning to a topic. I’m a Christian but not attending a church at moment. Feel drawn to Catholicism but not quite ready to take the plunge but I can’t go back to protestantism either.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info. I was in your position re becoming Catholic once, so I can empathize. Everyone who considers Catholicism has some question(s) that they’d like answers for. I hope we’ve answered this one well. If you go through classes at your local parish called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) many of your questions would be answered. As a Christian you would be a candidate, if you wish to be considered one. However, no one who takes the classes is obligated to become Catholic. Indeed, there are Catholics who take it just as a refresher course. Ask all the questions you like here on CAF. That’s what we’re here for.

My rough pregnancy has been due to hyperemesis (acute sickness) but I’ve regained my energy the last couple of weeks! I have three months left of my pregnancy! (You had wondered in your first response if I had delivered)

Yes, I remember now. Sorry. I should have picked up on that. As I wrote before, I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well and that you have a safe delivery and a healthy baby.