Ilicit Marriage and Attendence

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If you go with your relatives (who aren’t going to stop or modify the marriage or its participants such that it would be licit), would it be seen as tacitly approving of the “marriage” (actually adultery). Would going to the marriage render illicit material aid to the evil “marriage”.
 
This is an area of prudential judgment.

Fr. Serpa and Michelle Arnold have answered numerous variations of this question on Ask the Apologist.
 
Do you actually mean invalid, rather than illicit? An illicit marriage is one not performed according to law - this does not necessarily make it invalid, although I can’t think of any example where that would be true. An invalid marriage is one that does not exist at all, due for example to a Catholic marrying outside the Church without permission. An invalid marriage is adultery.
 
Elizium23 said:
Do you actually mean invalid, rather than illicit? An illicit marriage is one not performed according to law - this does not necessarily make it invalid, although I can’t think of any example where that would be true. An invalid marriage is one that does not exist at all, due for example to a Catholic marrying outside the Church without permission. An invalid marriage is adultery.
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Though this has nothing to do with the OP, I had to look it up. Apparently omission of the banns (without proper dispensation) makes a marriage illicit but not invalid.
 
While there are various factors that can come into play…( I will not note them here…I imagine one can find info on such from CA)

I personally do not go and usually others know not to try to invite me.

One certainly cannot approve any invalid marriage…(and usually showing up is approval…) for such would be to approve objective fornication or if it is invalid due to the person already being married (and it not being found to be null) then one would be approving adultery. And one can not “celebrate” that which is not a living reality…but rather at best (presuming the some lack of personal culpability) a well intended fiction…

Jimmy Akin addresses this in the last part of a recent show:

catholic.com/audio/2011/mp3/ca110531a.mp3

Listen a little past the mid point…
 
Would going and not attending the marriage or the reception be material cooperation with evil?
 
I, too, have a very close friend who has fallen away from the church and now is getting married outside the church to a christian woman who was previously marrried. Am I obligated not to go to the wedding because of these circumstances?
 
not obligated, but encouraged to think hard about whether to go or not.

For instance, don’t go if it tacitly approves the marriage.
 
fakename said:
not obligated, but encouraged to think hard about whether to go or not.

For instance, don’t go if it tacitly approves the marriage.
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Well, we haven’t had conversations specifically about the marriage, but we definately have been having discussions about him struggling with his faith. So, I think he knows that I believe very strongly in my faith and that if he asked me that I would tell him I think what he is doing is not how God wants him to go about it.

It’s a difficult situation. He’s basically a brother and I love his fiancee, but I still personally struggle with the idea that she was previously married (albeit, it was a ****** situation).

P.S. Sorry not trying to thread jack!
 
Bookcat said:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=7958368&postcount=6
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I have a followup question. I have been doing a lot of research, but I may have just missed what I’m looking for in all the information. When I say my friend has fallen away from the church, I mean that he no longer considers himself Catholic and just a practicing non-denominational Christian. Assuming this is enough to be considered as a formal act of seperation from the Church (in reference to Canon Law), do the rules still apply to him concerning his fiancee’s previous marriage? In other words, is the marriage invalid if he’s no longer a Catholic? I know that a Catholic would have to have his non-Catholic fiancee’s marriage annulled, but I’m not sure what applies in this situation.
 
gs013564 said:
I have a followup question. I have been doing a lot of research, but I may have just missed what I’m looking for in all the information. When I say my friend has fallen away from the church, I mean that he no longer considers himself Catholic and just a practicing non-denominational Christian. Assuming this is enough to be considered as a formal act of seperation from the Church (in reference to Canon Law), do the rules still apply to him concerning his fiancee’s previous marriage? In other words, is the marriage invalid if he’s no longer a Catholic? I know that a Catholic would have to have his non-Catholic fiancee’s marriage annulled, but I’m not sure what applies in this situation.
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  1. Such a formal act of defection I believe is no longer part of the law. No longer an option in terms of what you found. This was changed not long ago back to basically what it was before. He is still a Baptized Catholic…
  2. Yes the Church would need to look into her marriage to see if it was a true marriage…a valid marriage. If it was found to be not by the Church…then she would be free to marry. (it is a truth finding question…was the marriage valid…marriage is presumed to be valid all things being equal)
 
fakename said:
I’m going to ask my brother to get a marriage in the church, but we’re not even that close and I don’t know if asking this will just anger him and further diminish the chances of being so married? He’s not even a practicing catholic.

Any help would be well appreciated.
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Such needs to be approached with great prudence, prayer and perhaps good advice. Your in the situation so it is hard for someone who does not know those involved to know what to advise in a forum. Such can be a rather sticky situation.

Perhaps call the apologist line (a live person…not that I am dead) and also seek perhaps other good advice from a good Priest.

Is he wanting to marry a Protestant outside the Church…in their community? If so he can get a dispensation from form so that it will be valid…
 
Bookcat said:
  1. Such a formal act of defection I believe is no longer part of the law. No longer an option in terms of what you found. This was changed not long ago back to basically what it was before. He is still a Baptized Catholic…
  2. Yes the Church would need to look into her marriage to see if it was a true marriage…a valid marriage. If it was found to be not by the Church…then she would be free to marry. (it is a truth finding question…was the marriage valid…marriage is presumed to be valid all things being equal)
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Maybe I’m not reading this right then. It is Canon Law 1124. vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P41.HTM

It still contains the wording “defected from it by a formal act”. Is it just not updated on the Vatican’s website?

I did read about the Pope issuing a Motu Proprio modifying canon law in October 2009: ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/b16omnium.htm/

I think it basically was saying that the full force of Cann. 11 was back in effect in light of the modifying of 1124 and the other two laws. So reading about the modification, but still seeing the phrase “defected from it by a formal act” on the website has me confused a little.

What do you think?
 
gs013564 said:
Maybe I’m not reading this right then. It is Canon Law 1124. vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P41.HTM

It still contains the wording “defected from it by a formal act”. Is it just not updated on the Vatican’s website?

I did read about the Pope issuing a Motu Proprio modifying canon law in October 2009: ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/b16omnium.htm/

I think it basically was saying that the full force of Cann. 11 was back in effect in light of the modifying of 1124 and the other two laws. So reading about the modification, but still seeing the phrase “defected from it by a formal act” on the website has me confused a little.

What do you think?
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The text there one the website is from “intratext” not the Vatican…it just does not have that change noted. Sort of like my 2 books here 🙂 No more formal defection…
 
Bookcat said:
The text there one the website is from “intratext” not the Vatican…it just does not have that change noted. Sort of like my 2 books here 🙂 No more formal defection…
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Ah, okay cool. I thought the vatican.va ensured it was up to date. 😛 Is there a web resource for up to date canon law?
 
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