Hypothetically speaking, annulment questions

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What if you were once married in the Catholic church and 2 years later got divorced and never seeked an annulment. Then 3 years later you got “married” to a different woman in a different church. Then after 30 years of being “married” aka living in adultery you finally decide you want to come back to the Catholic church. Your spouse is Christian but not Catholic. Can she become Catholic even though she is living in adultery? Or can she not become Catholic until her “husband” is granted the annulment? If the annulment is granted, how does one become remarried in the Catholic church? Does there have to be a proper service?

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I suggest you obtain a copy of Annulment: The Wedding That Was by Michael Smith Foster. It will explain what a decree of nullity is and isn’t.

It is really not fruitful to discuss hypothetical nullity situations, because each one is unique.

However, IN GENERAL:
  • The couple is in an invalid marriage due to the impediment of prior bond on his part.
  • To correct this situation, they would have to eithe separate OR the husband would have to apply for and receive a decree of nullity or a dissolution of the bond via the Pauline or Petrine privilege if either applied in his situation.
  • If the man is granted a decree of nullity, the couple could then convalidate their marriage. It would then be valid in the Catholic Church.
  • The woman could be received into the Church if she ceased the adulterous relationship OR if the man receives a decree of nullity and is free to marry and their current union is convalidated
  • There are many factors that could influence the accuracy of my above comments, therefore again it is really pointless to try to discuss such cases in the hypothetical
  • Get the book I suggested if you want to understand this subject better.
 
JMJ2013 said:
What if you were once married in the Catholic church and 2 years later got divorced and never seeked an annulment. Then 3 years later you got “married” to a different woman in a different church. Then after 30 years of being “married” aka living in adultery you finally decide you want to come back to the Catholic church. Your spouse is Christian but not Catholic. Can she become Catholic even though she is living in adultery? Or can she not become Catholic until her “husband” is granted the annulment? If the annulment is granted, how does one become remarried in the Catholic church? Does there have to be a proper service?

Thanks
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Go talk to your parish priest ASAP. Tell him EVERYTHING, every last detail. Write everything down so you don’t leave anything out. He will advise you as to what you need to do next. Lots of “ifs” and conditions and the priest can ask questions of you and you can ask questions of him.

Glad you are on your way home.
 
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