How to come back

[Constantin]

I do care about Catholic or Orthodox. There are more differences than people are aware of. Mostly, Catholics tend to think of Orthodox as siblings who do not accept the bishop of Rome and are otherwise pretty much compatible in terms of church teachings, the division being only political in nature. I can tell you that it is not that simple.
Basically, I am required to raise the children in the Catholic faith, while she is required to raise them in the Orthodox faith.
There is no real solution apart from one of us converting.
I guess they will be raised Orthodox because she is more adamant in her faith and I have all but given up.

 

[ktmeyer]

Short of converting, yes, they could be raised Orthodox, while you remain Roman Catholic. Not ideal, but certainly much much better than you not having access to the sacraments and the children raised without any faith at all. Surely you’d rather them be raised Orthodox than without any Church home.

How did none of this come up when you initially were getting married?

 

[Constantin]

Well, obviously, there is more to this story than I have told so far - it is still more complicated.
However, I do not want to share my whole life here
As a Catholic, I am an outcast due to cohabitation.
My wife wants me to convert, which could potentially solve all those issues,
but it is a sin to leave the Catholic church.
One way or another, I am in a bad spot. Catch-22.

 

[anon90438963]

Well, amazing things can happen with prayer. You are a Catholic; double down on your prayers. Pray for guidance–pray hard, pray for the courage to make the heroic decision you may be called on to make. But remember that God can have many ways of answering, including softening your wife’s heart or leading her to conversion to Catholicism. Stranger things have happened. Expect it. Just don’t give up and make it your mission to grow in your Catholic faith. The more you draw close to God the more things will become clear to you and the more strength you will have to do what you are led to do.

 

[Casilda]

but it is a sin to leave the Catholic church.

One way or another, I am in a bad spot. Catch-22.

I was told that in such a situation one can request a radical sanitation when one spouse rejects the idea of becoming Catholic. That was not possible in my case because my husband did want to be Catholic. Our solution came from one of the Churches in communion with the Roman Catholic Church (Eastern Catholic) where practice and spirituality are more in line with the Orthodox.