Is a Marriage valid if you're excommunicated?

[jimcook]

Good morning,

My wife and I were discussing last night about our marriage with all the hub dub surrounding annulments and marriages in the media. A little background. I left the RCC for about nine years to an Evangelical group. I was proud and loved boasting how I apostatized and was espousing “true views.” Well, after slipping down a pretty bad path, I came back to the Church, went to confession and “re-converted.” Two years later, I met my Catholic wife and we married in a beautiful Catholic mass. Well, about two years ago, we moved and when the pastor from our new parish blessed our house, I shared with him my past. Alarmed, he asked if I knew what I had done was leaving the Church at that time and I responded that I did and how boasted how I apostatized and was separated from the Church. After more details, Father mentioned that the priest may have not had the faculties to lift my excommunication and to be sure, we went through the proper procedures to lift the excommunication latiae sententiae from before.

Well, now I was wondering:
As I married my wife during that period, would our marriage have been valid, valid but illicit, or are we at risk of having an invalidated marriage?

Thank you for your patience and let me know if I can explain if something was unclear.

 

[dans0622]

Good morning,

My wife and I were discussing last night about our marriage with all the hub dub surrounding annulments and marriages in the media. A little background. I left the RCC for about nine years to an Evangelical group. I was proud and loved boasting how I apostatized and was espousing “true views.” Well, after slipping down a pretty bad path, I came back to the Church, went to confession and “re-converted.” Two years later, I met my Catholic wife and we married in a beautiful Catholic mass. Well, about two years ago, we moved and when the pastor from our new parish blessed our house, I shared with him my past. Alarmed, he asked if I knew what I had done was leaving the Church at that time and I responded that I did and how boasted how I apostatized and was separated from the Church. After more details, Father mentioned that the priest may have not had the faculties to lift my excommunication and to be sure, we went through the proper procedures to lift the excommunication latiae sententiae from before.

Well, now I was wondering:
As I married my wife during that period, would our marriage have been valid, valid but illicit, or are we at risk of having an invalidated marriage?

Thank you for your patience and let me know if I can explain if something was unclear.

Hello,

Your marriage would certainly be presumed valid by/in the law of the Church.

Illicit? I don’t think so. Even if it was, there’s nothing you can do about that now.

Dan

 

[FrDavid96]

First of all, since you were married by a Catholic priest, your marriage “enjoys the favor of the law” that means that in every way, your marriage is presumed to be valid, and is considered by everyone as valid, unless and until that marriage is formally disputed.

The next thing I have to say is that it is truly a bad practice for a priest to say that your marriage might be invalid because the excommunication might not have been lifted.

Unless he knows with absolute certainty that the priest did not have the faculties to lift the excommunication (if one even existed) he would have done better to say nothing.

The conclusion is based on one “might not” after another “might not” leading to another “might not.”

You would have had to formally leave the Catholic Church. Unless you received a letter from your local bishop addressed to you by name telling you that you were no longer a Catholic or that you were excommunicated, then you remained a Catholic and the priest had the faculties to reconcile you. No need to take this any further.

 

[Jeannie52]

First of all, since you were married by a Catholic priest, your marriage “enjoys the favor of the law” that means that in every way, your marriage is presumed to be valid, and is considered by everyone as valid, unless and until that marriage is formally disputed.

The next thing I have to say is that it is truly a bad practice for a priest to say that your marriage might be invalid because the excommunication might not have been lifted.

Unless he knows with absolute certainty that the priest did not have the faculties to lift the excommunication (if one even existed) he would have done better to say nothing.

The conclusion is based on one “might not” after another “might not” leading to another “might not.”

You would have had to formally leave the Catholic Church. Unless you received a letter from your local bishop addressed to you by name telling you that you were no longer a Catholic or that you were excommunicated, then you remained a Catholic and the priest had the faculties to reconcile you. No need to take this any further.

I think this is very sound advice.

 

[dconklin]

Unless you received a letter from your local bishop addressed to you by name telling you that you were no longer a Catholic or that you were excommunicated, then you remained a Catholic and the priest had the faculties to reconcile you. No need to take this any further.

I was thinking it had to be something like this. I love it when I come up with the same response as Fr David.

 

[jimcook]

Thank you! My wife and I appreciate your answers.