Divorcees coming in the Church & excommunication?

[teadough]

Can someone please help me with these questions?

1.Why is it that the Catholic Church has problems with divorcees who are coming into the Church for the first time since the Church does not seem to recognized outside marriages anyways? Maybe I have been misled on this.That is why I am asking I understand Jesus’ teaching on the matter

2.Can someone entering the Church who has been divorced still be Baptised in the Church? OR are all Sacraments void to this person?

3.Can someone who has been excommunicated from the Church still attend Mass

thanks for any info.I have had a hard time finding a definitive answer in the CCC. I am just curious about these questions and did not want to bring them up again in RCIA because a few people are having problems with the former marriage deal.

 

[benedictgal]

Can someone please help me with these questions?

1.Why is it that the Catholic Church has problems with divorcees who are coming into the Church for the first time since the Church does not seem to recognized outside marriages anyways? Maybe I have been misled on this.That is why I am asking I understand Jesus’ teaching on the matter

2.Can someone entering the Church who has been divorced still be Baptised in the Church? OR are all Sacraments void to this person?

3.Can someone who has been excommunicated from the Church still attend Mass

thanks for any info.I have had a hard time finding a definitive answer in the CCC. I am just curious about these questions and did not want to bring them up again in RCIA because a few people are having problems with the former marriage deal.

First of all, if the divorced person has not remarried (and, is not living with someone of the opposite sex, meaning, engaged in a romantic relationship outside of matrimony), then he or she can certainly receive the sacraments.

Now, as far as your third question, they can certainly still attend Mass; however, they cannot receive Holy Communion unless they are reconciled with the Church. Let me give you a real-life example. In the early 1940s, my paternal grandmother divorced my paternal grandfather. She remarried another man outside of the Church. However, she never stopped going to Mass. In fact, she reared my dad as a Catholic, making the necessary sacrifices to put him through a parochial school and ensuring that he received the appropriate sacraments. Ditto for my aunt, who is my dad’s half-sister. Not once did my beloved grandma ever stop going to Church.

In fact, she was the one who taught me to love and appreciate the Paschal Triduum. She never stopped reading her Douay-Rheims Bible. I never understood why she could not receive Holy Communion because, as a child, I didn’t understand such things as excommunication and annulment. Furthermore, even though I thought it as odd that she never received Holy Communion, she never stopped going to Mass (including First Fridays). In fact, without knowing why, I kept asking my grandma why she didn’t go receive Jesus, especially since she wanted to make sure that I did (and she would accompany me and my mom to church for confession when we would visit her while on vacation). My mom would just look at me. I still had to ask. Both of them said that I would understand someday.

I cannot speak to the circumstances as to why she remarried (didn’t care much for my stepgrandfather, but, that’s for another thread), but, when I graduated from my Catholic school (8th grade), I noticed that my grandma and my step-grandfather went to receive Holy Communion. It was only then that I realized what annulment and convalidation meant.

Since then, my grandmother continued to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion, along with my step-grandfather, up until the day they died. Mind you, she went to Mass for nearly 4 decades without having received Holy Communion. She never stopped going to Mass. Why keep piling up the sins?

She erred in remarrying without an annulment, but, after her situation was taken care of, she (and my step-grandfather) were fully reconciled. The situations are not hopeless, but, don’t stop going to Mass no matter what.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note that divorce is justified in many cases involving fear of violence. Even if the divorce was for less serious reason it is a forgivable sin; no bar to membership in the Church or to the sacraments once confessed, or forgiven by Baptism.

Attempted remarriage after divorce is a bar to the Sacraments. One will not be accepted for Baptism if one is divorced and remarried unless the first, and any other former marriages, are declared null by the Tribunal.

 

[YADA]

And the church recognizes many marriages … marriages between two non-catholics before a justice of the peace is presumed valid … so a divorced non-catholic may enter the church [become catholic] but not contract a catholic wedding [unless they submit their first marriage for determination and receive an affirmative decree of nullity]

 

[teadough]

Thanks so much for the responses.

For my first question I should have emphasized “Divorced people who have re-married”. That is what I meant to say and just realized the mistake.

Thanks again

 

[teadough]

What about the Divcored person who has Re-married in regards to Baptism? Can you still not get Baptized by a Priest or Bishop?

Did someone answer this and I missied it?

 

[Kielbasi]

Can someone please help me with these questions?

1.Why is it that the Catholic Church has problems with divorcees who are coming into the Church for the first time since the Church does not seem to recognized outside marriages anyways? Maybe I have been misled on this.That is why I am asking I understand Jesus’ teaching on the matter

2.Can someone entering the Church who has been divorced still be Baptised in the Church? OR are all Sacraments void to this person?

3.Can someone who has been excommunicated from the Church still attend Mass

thanks for any info.I have had a hard time finding a definitive answer in the CCC. I am just curious about these questions and did not want to bring them up again in RCIA because a few people are having problems with the former marriage deal.

For baptism, the person has to turn from their sins, repent, if they are going to receive it validly. Someone who is continuing to live with someone who is not their spouse really isn’t turning from their sins. That is why those living in putative second marriages and intend to remain in them need to get an annulment first.

Of course, anyone in the general public can attend mass, including excommunicated individuals. There might be an exception if someone was particularly disruptive and had to be removed in the past and were barred from the building. But that kind of situation has nothing to do with excommunication.

 

[puzzleannie]

Can someone please help me with these questions?

1.Why is it that the Catholic Church has problems with divorcees who are coming into the Church for the first time since the Church does not seem to recognized outside marriages anyways? Maybe I have been misled on this.That is why I am asking I understand Jesus’ teaching on the matter

2.Can someone entering the Church who has been divorced still be Baptised in the Church? OR are all Sacraments void to this person?

3.Can someone who has been excommunicated from the Church still attend Mass

thanks for any info.I have had a hard time finding a definitive answer in the CCC. I am just curious about these questions and did not want to bring them up again in RCIA because a few people are having problems with the former marriage deal.

excommunication does not arise in this context

anyone in the RCIA class who has marriage issues should be discussing them in private with the priest or deacon who is directing their preparation, so they can receive the proper guidance for their personal situation. These personal situations should never be discussed in the general class, only the actual teaching on marriage and the other sacraments. The status of other people in the class is between them and the priest, and of no interest to any other candidate.

Jesus’ teaching on marriage is quite clear. Remarriage after divorce, unless there was something unlawful (invalid) in the first marriage, is adultery, a grave sin, and not permitted by God’s law or the law of the Church founded by Jesus.

Since this matter does rest in canon law, the law of the Church set up to apply Jesus teaching to matters relating to the sacraments, there is a canon law process to investigate and resolve such situations. Those who want to enter the Catholic Church are bound not only by God’s universal moral law–no remarriage after divorce unless in cases where the marriage was not valid–but also by Church law, which establishes further conditions binding on Catholics, but not others: marriage in the Church, no marriage to non-Catholics, and requires dispensations from those laws in certain situations.

the RCIA candidate cannot appreciate those distinctions until they are explained, which is the purpose for both what should be an exhaustive initial interview, ascertaining the facts on any marriage situations that must be looked at, and the inquiry period, when those teachings can be explained, giving the candidate a chance to reflect on those teachings before he decides to enter the church.

in OP #1, you are misinformed. The Catholic Church recognizes all marriages contracted by non-Catholics as valid until proven otherwise.

a divorced person may receive the other sacraments (as long as they have not remarried and are otherwise in the state of grace, which is why they will also confess, if baptized, prior to confirmation and communion). any one may attend Mass, but they may not receive communion unless they are in a state of grace (not conscious of any grave sin, which would include cohabiting as well as other sins).

only a Catholic adult can be excommunicated, and only by a conscious deliberate choice to commit an action which he or she knows merits the penance of excommunication. Most of the time that punishment can be lifted in normal sacramental confession and absolution by a priest.

 

[teadough]

Thanks to all for the info. I think you guys covered everything.

puzzleannie,
luckily nobody was talking about personal marriages and such in RCIA class.Thank God I know that would not go over well and should stay private. That is why I wanted to ask here so as not to put people in class on the spot.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Can someone please help me with these questions?

1.Why is it that the Catholic Church has problems with divorcees who are coming into the Church for the first time since the Church does not seem to recognized outside marriages anyways? Maybe I have been misled on this.That is why I am asking I understand Jesus’ teaching on the matter

2.Can someone entering the Church who has been divorced still be Baptised in the Church? OR are all Sacraments void to this person?

3.Can someone who has been excommunicated from the Church still attend Mass

thanks for any info.I have had a hard time finding a definitive answer in the CCC. I am just curious about these questions and did not want to bring them up again in RCIA because a few people are having problems with the former marriage deal.

1. That depends on what you mean by “outside Marriages”. The Church recognizes Protestant/Protestant Marriages or Protestant/non-Christan and even non-christian / non-Christian Marriages as valid until proven otherwise.
2. A Divorced person who has not attempted another Marriage is not affected. A person who has Divorced and then attempted another Marriage cannot receive ANY Sacraments until the Marriage stiuation is resolved.
3. Someone who has been Excommunicated is REQUIRED to still attend Mass on Holy Days and Sundays. A divorced person is not Excommunicated also a Divorced and “re-Married” person is not Excommunicated. Those in irregular Marriage situations must have the Marriage situation resolved before they can receive any Sacraments. Those who are only civilly Divorced still have access to the Sacraments if they have not attempted another Mariage.