Eucharist after a Divorce

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What are the minimum requirements for receiving communion after a divorce of a Catholic marriage? Can someone simply go to confession (if truly sorry) and then receive communion? Why does this sin carry more weight than others?
 
The divorce itself is not a sin. It’s what you do after the divorce that is a sin. So if you date again, or get married again the sin would be adultery since in God’s eyes you are still married.
 
The situation is that a friend divorced his wife 10 years ago, after 20 years of marriage. This man married (civil marriage) again then divorced. He has not been married in almost 5 years. He is going to church every Sunday, but thinks he is not allowed to receive communion.
If he is living a moral single life, can he receive the Eucharist after confessing his sins?
 
I think he would have to confess the adultery with the 2nd wife (since in God’s eyes he is married to the first one) But if he is living a moral single life, I don’t think there is a reason he couldn’t go to Communion after confession.
 
Dear 5Kids,

The man needs to go to confession, but then may return to the practice of the sacraments. Should he wish to remarry he needs to address the issue of his marriage with the Tribunal in his diocese.

Deacon Ed
 
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5kids:
What are the minimum requirements for receiving communion after a divorce of a Catholic marriage? Can someone simply go to confession (if truly sorry) and then receive communion? Why does this sin carry more weight than others?
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I am not sure what you mean by more weight. To receive Communion one must receive absolution for all mortal sins. to receive absolution one must show an intent not to commit the sin again, or, may be better, not to have a current intent to commit the sin again. One cannot show that if one is in a continuing adulterous relationship, attempted remarriage.

If one is not currently remarried, or in an equivalent relationship, there is no problem with confessing and receiving.
 
I get the impression that y’all are forgetting that divorce in itself is objectively a mortal sin. Of course, whether or not it would be sinful in a given situation would depend on the reason. Things like abuse, adultery, addictions, or desertion would probably be legitimate reasons, whereas boredom, unhappiness, irreconcilable differences, or growing apart would surely not be legitimate reasons.

In addition, if a couple got divorced for a less-than-legitimate reason, and one of them didn’t want the divorce and did what he or she could to prevent it, then that person wouldn’t be guilty of sin.

Anyway, anyone who has divorced their spouse without a good reason has objectively committed a mortal sin and thus would be barred from Communion until or unless he or she repented through the sacrament of confession AND did what they could to try and repair the marriage.
 
Suggest to him that he consult a priest. He would be able to guide him on this issue, plus he would be able to confess his sins to the priest if he is truely sorry.
 
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5kids:
The situation is that a friend divorced his wife 10 years ago, after 20 years of marriage. This man married (civil marriage) again then divorced. He has not been married in almost 5 years. He is going to church every Sunday, but thinks he is not allowed to receive communion.
If he is living a moral single life, can he receive the Eucharist after confessing his sins?
Click to expand...
divorce itself is not necessarily a sin, although the circumstances surrounding it may have involved sin, and as long as the person is not married or engaging in a sexual relationship with anyone they are free to receive communion, provided they are in a state of grace. These circumstances are decided by the individual and his priest in confession, not by friends, relations, fellow parishioners or members of an internet chat room. The gentleman in question should go to confession regularly and receive the sacraments if the priest allows. It would be an act of charity for a close friend to tell him this.
 
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