Going to non-catholic wedding question

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FastLearner said:
Maybe I’m going off-point here, but here’s a case where I get confused:

Let’s assume that there are two non-Catholics that marry, then divorce for reasons that would ordinarily justify a Canonical Annulment, had they been Catholic. Since they’re not Catholic, though, they cannot apply for a decree of nullity from a tribunal. In such a case, is it possible for the first marriage attempt to have been invalid, but not possible for the couple to obtain the necessary “paperwork” to prove that because they’re not Catholic? In such a case, wouldn’t they then be free to attempt marriage again (a tribunal just makes a “finding”, correct? Isn’t it possible for the conditions to exist even without a formal investigation?)? Since it’s not possible for me to assume whether or not the first marriage attempt was valid, via charity aren’t I to assume that the couple made the correct decision in evaluating their freedom to marry? And finally, isn’t this assumption impacted by the religion of the couple and therefore their understanding of what establishes freedom to marry?
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No. The couple themselves are not the competent authority to judge validity.
 
1ke said:
No. The couple themselves are not the competent authority to judge validity.
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I wasn’t saying that the couple just validity, just that something is valid or is not valid, and there’s no way to know. But FrDavid96’s response about “…the favor of the law…” solves that.

Thanks!
 
maybe I should read thru this whole thread again before responding, but I am fairly amazed at what I have read thus far…so please, clarify a few things…
are you saying that anyone who is not catholic is not properly married??? Seems that if it for some reason is sinful for you to attend the wedding of a non catholic…hmmm…Im totally confused, and like I say, I maybe should read this further…
okay…I am not catholic. I am a Bible believing Christian. Now what do you say to this…one of my dearest friends is an extremely devout catholic. I played the organ at her wedding, which was totally catholic…I suppose you will tell me Pat shouldnt have had me play at her wedding because I am a non catholic??
Oh, I married about 3 years after she did…and she was one of my attendants, and I assure you my marriage is a Christian marriage.
I dont know…this discussion seems a little confusing to me how it is going to 'taint" you to attend a wedding of someone of another faith. 🤷
 
The Catholic church considers 2 non-catholics can marry validly. If they are both baptized, it is sacramental. This is assuming that there are no other impediments such as previous marriages, etc.

A Catholic however, is bound by Catholic canon law, and must do things according to the Law of the church. They may marry a non-catholic Christian, or even a non-Christian, but they must have the proper dispensations/permissions to do so.
 
Blessed_Hope said:
[deletia]
I dont know…this discussion seems a little confusing to me how it is going to 'taint" you to attend a wedding of someone of another faith. 🤷
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[deletia mine]
I only want to address this line.

Blessed Hope, it would not “taint” a Catholic to attend the wedding of another faith. Infact, I’ll be going to a wedding between a Lutheran and a Baptist this September! 😉 There are, however, certain things Catholics cannot do at non-Catholic weddings. That is what is in discussion here. There are things that non-Catholics can’t do when they attend a Catholic wedding as well.

Now, if this non-Catholic wedding has some impediments to it, or there is something completely against moral law (i.e. a same sex wedding ceremony) we should not go. I posted a link earlier in this thread about what weddings a Catholic can attend. I think there are reasons why too.

But no, it won’t taint a Catholic to attend a non-Catholic wedding. 🙂
 
Blessed_Hope said:
maybe I should read thru this whole thread again before responding, but I am fairly amazed at what I have read thus far…so please, clarify a few things…
are you saying that anyone who is not catholic is not properly married???
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Who is the “you” to whom you refer?

In my reading of this thread, one person made a comment about non-Catholic marriages being invalid and others have posted responses regarding Church teaching on the matter.

The Church, in general, recognizes non-Catholic marriages as valid. Only if there is some divine law impediment (prior marriage, polygamous marriage, marriage of siblings, same-sex “marriage,” etc) would validity be questioned.
Blessed_Hope said:
Seems that if it for some reason is sinful for you to attend the wedding of a non catholic…hmmm…Im totally confused, and like I say, I maybe should read this further…
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Yes, maybe you should read further, because the Church simply doesn’t teach that non-Catholic marriages are invalid or that it is sinful to attend them-- unless it is an invalid attempts at marriage.
Blessed_Hope said:
okay…I am not catholic. I am a Bible believing Christian. Now what do you say to this…one of my dearest friends is an extremely devout catholic. I played the organ at her wedding, which was totally catholic…I suppose you will tell me Pat shouldnt have had me play at her wedding because I am a non catholic??
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I’m not sure where you got that idea.
Blessed_Hope said:
Oh, I married about 3 years after she did…and she was one of my attendants, and I assure you my marriage is a Christian marriage.
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I’m sure it is.
Blessed_Hope said:
I dont know…this discussion seems a little confusing to me how it is going to 'taint" you to attend a wedding of someone of another faith. 🤷
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I’m not sure where you got this idea. Nothing in the responses has had any element of what you suggest here in this comment.
 
FastLearner said:
These sort of things always get a little hairy for me:
  1. Do you judge the appropriateness of the wedding based on your beliefs, or the beliefs of the party? If the couple is free to marry in their religion, is that different than if they are not free to marry in their religion?
  2. How do you determine the appropriateness of the situation? If a Catholic couple is being married outside of a Catholic church, do you request to see a copy of the Dispensation from Canonical Form or do you just assume that they don’t have it? Do you ask if they’ve received annulments, or do you just guess that they haven’t if it has never been mentioned?
  3. If a person was baptized Catholic and has decided to leave the Church, is that to be treated differently than a non-Catholic? Does a person have a right to leave the Church or must they always be subject to Canonical Form in the eyes of Catholics?
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You act based on your beliefs. One would think that if you are attending a wedding you generally know something about at least one of the people, if not both. You make judgments based on what you do know.
  1. Yes, a person who leaves the practice of Catholicism, does not leave the Catholic Faith usually and are still bound by Catholic laws. They may leave the Catholic Faith by making a formal declaration to their Pastor and the Bishop. vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/intrptxt/documents/rc_pc_intrptxt_doc_20060313_actus-formalis_en.html
 
Gabriella_San_S said:
I did not attend my sister’s “first” wedding because she married a divorced Catholic and they got married at an episcopal church. My whole family was shocked. Some stopped speaking with me for a time… There will be persecution, so be prepared! God’s grace will be necessary.
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My sister “married” her lesbian lover during the brief period of time when that was legal in California. Both are cradle Catholics and even identify themselves as Catholics. The ceremony was at a hotel by a non-denominational minister. At first my sister asked my Uncle to “give her away”. As a devout Catholic, he told her he did not feel comfortable doing that, nor did he attend. So she asked our Mother, a practicing and fairly devout Catholic, to give her away. My mother, despite explanations from my Uncle and myself, agreed to do it “so as not to hurt her feelings.” The other woman was “given away” by her brother, a fallen-away Catholic. My sisters and cousins, some Catholic, and some fallen away to other protestant sects (that do not condone homosexual unions) all attended with perfectly clear consciences, all arguing “it was to support her” or “not offend her.”

I send a polite note declining, to which my sister, interestingly, replied that she understood my religious beliefs prevented me from coming. She was not resentful, but the family clearly considers me to be a bit too strict and judgmental. After the wedding, my sister described it as “the happiest day of her life” - a strange insight that such a perverse relationship can seem so natural to them and acceptable to others. Strangely, most who attended voted YES on Prop 8 (that is, they voted AGAINST homo marriage) yet in practical reality they looked the other way in their own family rather than cause conflict or hard feelings.
 
FastLearner said:
Then should I not attend non-Christian weddings, since they are invalid? Specifically, if invited to a Hindi wedding, am I supposed to not attend?
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They are not invalid; they are natural marriages and are accepted as such by the Church.
 
=irom;5460100]Can catholic go to non-catholic wedding (civil, protestanat) ? I mean situations when invited by neighbor or co-worker.
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***Yes but,

One may NOT be a part of the “wedding party”

One may NOT participate in their version of 'holy communion."

Both can give scandal and are likely Mortal sins.***
 
1ke said:
There is no prohibition on a Catholic being part of the wedding party of a non-Catholic.
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Is this totally true? My husband was asked to be the best man for his “fallen away” Catholic brother and his Jewish bride who were being married by a “generic” woman minister. A bishop told me he should not even attend the ceremony.
 
Gabriella_San_S said:
Is this totally true? My husband was asked to be the best man for his “fallen away” Catholic brother and his Jewish bride who were being married by a “generic” woman minister. A bishop told me he should not even attend the ceremony.
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The statement I made is true: There is no prohibition on a Catholic being in the wedding party of a non-Catholic.

The situation you describe is a totally different subject. Your brother is not a “non-Catholic.” Your brother is a Catholic, bound by Catholic canon law, and was attempting to marry invalidly by marrying a non-Christian outside Catholic form without dispensation. The bishop correctly guided you not to attend.
 
1ke said:
The statement I made is true: There is no prohibition on a Catholic being in the wedding party of a non-Catholic.

The situation you describe is a totally different subject. Your brother is not a “non-Catholic.” Your brother is a Catholic, bound by Catholic canon law, and was attempting to marry invalidly by marrying a non-Christian outside Catholic form without dispensation. The bishop correctly guided you not to attend.
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Thank you for clarifying your broad statement.Details* do* apply in these matters.🙂
 
The Church actually provides a direct answer here:
adoremus.org/EcumenismNorms.html

DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM
136. Members of other Churches or ecclesial Communities may be witnesses at the celebration of marriage in a Catholic church. Catholics may also be witnesses at marriages which are celebrated in other Churches or ecclesial Communities.

I do believe that at the same time, we have to take this not as an absolute permission, but with the understanding that such participation has the possibility of crossing a certain line and being inappropriate. It has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Also, if the local bishop has issued norms for his own diocese, these must be followed.
 
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