If A Catholic Couple Marries In A Protestant Church,

[Starwynd]

Can they be excommunicated?

 

[Lee_M]

I don’t believe they would be excommunicated. The marriage would be invalid but it doesn’t sound like they are too worried about their Catholic beliefs anyway.

 

[quiet52]

The Catholic couple would not be in a state of grace, and would not be able to receive the Eucharist, unless and until their marriage is convalidated.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Can they be excommunicated?

They would not be Excommunicated, however they would no longer be able to receive any Sacraments in the Catholic Church, such as Holy Communion. Sometimes a mixed Marriage couple one Catholic and one Protestant can receive a dispensation from the Catholic Bishop to marry in the Protestant’s place of worship. But a Catholic/Catholic couple would not normally ask for or receive a dispensation as such.

 

[1ke]

Can they be excommunicated?

Why would a Catholic couple ignore the laws of the Church? Why would they not seek marriage in the Catholic Church?

 

[bilop]

Can they be excommunicated?

Excommunication is generally only for formal, public heresy.

The exception is latae sententiae (automatic) excommunications for things like participating in an abortion, attacking the Pope, violating the seal of the confessional, desecrating the Eucharist, etc.

Mortal sins alone do not cause excommunication.

God Bless

 

[jmcrae]

Can they be excommunicated?

More importantly, would they care whether they were, or not?

For what reason would a Catholic couple marry in a Protestant church?

 

[Just_Lurking]

Read Wikipedia (see here) for the history of this excommunication.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Read Wikipedia (see here) for the history of this excommunication.

Under the old 1917 Canon Law, yes. It was not clear that the Op was asking about the old Canon Law.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Well, there is the possibility that they received a dispensation to do so, but barring such a dispensation the question becomes highly inaccurate: without the dispensation they can’t marry at all (i.e. Catholics can’t validly marry outside canonical form without dispensation to do so). So not only would the couple’s simulation of marriage bar them from the sacraments until such time as they repented and were reconciled, but the decision to hold the ceremony in a Protestant church/fashion would have left them just as unmarried as when they began. Highly inefficient way to get married, if you ask me.

 

[jmcrae]

Well, there is the possibility that they received a dispensation to do so, but barring such a dispensation the question becomes highly inaccurate: without the dispensation they can’t marry at all (i.e. Catholics can’t validly marry outside canonical form without dispensation to do so). So not only would the couple’s simulation of marriage bar them from the sacraments until such time as they repented and were reconciled, but the decision to hold the ceremony in a Protestant church/fashion would have left them just as unmarried as when they began. Highly inefficient way to get married, if you ask me.

Great points!