Is my friend free to remarry?

[KarenB]

A friend of mine, who is not Catholic, married in a Catholic church to a Catholic. He has since left (her and the Church) and they are divorced. I’m not sure if she is free to remarry or not. I don’t want to encourage her to do so if it would be wrong for her to remarry.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Objectively speaking, no, your friend is not free to remarry unless she receives an annulment from the Catholic Church. However, since she is a non-Catholic, she may not in conscience accept the need to have the Church adjudicate her marriage. If she honestly does not understand the need for the Church to annul the marriage before she attempts remarriage, she may not be culpable for attempting remarriage without an annulment. If she discusses remarriage plans with you though, you can suggest that she seek an annulment from the Church first. To present the idea in a manner that might appeal to a non-Catholic, you might point out that, because she married in the Catholic Church, she should seek “closure” for that marriage from the Catholic Church before marrying anyone else. I also suggest that you recommend to her the resources listed below.

Recommended reading:

Annulments: What You Need to Know by Jimmy Akin
Annulments and the Catholic Church by Edward Peters