Eastern Orthodox/Eastern Catholics: Can you marry a non-Christian?

[RealisticCatholic]

My friend was in the process of converting to Eastern Orthodoxy (for almost 2 years). But recently, she has been involved with a nice Buddhist man.

She had to put off her Chrismation, because her priest told her that she would not be able to marry him,

Is this true? How should she proceed? I’m asking Eastern Catholics too, because if the answer is different, it may be worthwhile to let her know.

 

[RealisticCatholic]

My second question would be:

How should I help my friend, if she indeed cannot marry a non-Christian? This is putting her through much distress.

 

[Mary888]

Religiously no. There are certain possible compromises possible with the approval of the local bishop, to marry a Christian from another denomination if the child will be baptized as raised in EO. But outside of Christianity we can never receive a crowning in the EO and thus as far as the Church is concerned we would be living in sin as married against Church ruling.

 

[CoffeeFanatic]

Yes, it’s true that your friend can’t marry a non-Christian in the Orthodox Church. Scripture is quite clear on this matter, as well. The exception is if someone is a non-Christian that is already married to another non-Christian and then converts to Christianity without their spouse doing so. The person remains married at the whim of their non-Christian spouse. That’s also in scripture.

So, you will occasionally see Orthodox Christians married to non-Christians, however, they were married to said person before conversion. The only time I’ve seen economia employed is regarding baptized Orthodox that married non-Christians and lived under Communist rule.

 

[twf]

Exceptions are granted for converts who are already married. What about those who fall away from the faith, get married, and years later seek to reconcile with the Church? Would their marriage to a non-Christian prevent them from reconciling?

 

[Mary888]

What about those who fall away from the faith, get married, and years later seek to reconcile with the Church? Would their marriage to a non-Christian prevent them from reconciling?

I don’t know. In my family we had mixed marriages but my parents are not fans of religion and so the story is without end for me. Any EO Christian can go back and confess the sins. The priest then sets a canon of penance and in unusual circumstances such as this advises the next step.
I once read some pages in a shop from a book called “Advises from the Holy Russian Fathers”. What I read was about the case of a Russian lady married to a Jewish gentleman. She was practicing her faith her husband was rather atheist. The story was from the p.o.v. of her confessor who was describing this case. The lady was constantly complaining about her husband’s lack of faith and what to do. The priest was telling her to pray. The story ended with the fact her hisband converted.
So the reconciliation I presume is possible but then they are responsible for gently praying for their spouse as well. And bear the cross of the responsibility of their spouse redemption.
I am still sorry I did not buy that book.
I know some will say how can a priest, even without using names, present such stories and aren’t they breaking the seal of confession? I don’t know how Christ will judge but for some of us the more curious type, these stories, while protecting the anonimity of the people involved, carry a lot help.
I have a great sensibility for Jewish people and what some Christians are saying about them, sitting on a self-imagined mount Sinai, judging them, has kept me away from my own church for many years. So that priest who gave that interview to be published in the book, showing me that the Church is fair and places responsibility more on those who know and are given more (Her members) really smoothed the way back to Church for me.
That priest whose name I forgot is in my prayers and I hope he is in Heaven because his unusual ways may have saved more souls than just the two of the couple involved in the story.
I would also add that I don’t want my comment to be taken as breaking the seal of confession to be okay, or those secular powers FORCING the priests to do so is okay, or endorse the trouble posed on Christian priests in Australia today.
No, I just want to say that sometimes priests break rules out of love and the Holy Spirit is at work and if it was LOVE, that is from God, the fruit of their actions is good in the end.