Is my mother free to marry?

[TRH1292]

My mother is a baptized Protestant and has been married one time, in a civil marriage, to my father. My father is a Roman Catholic who had been married 5 times previously in civil marriages. They are now divorced. If my mother were to convert to Roman Catholicism, would this marriage be deemed invalid because 1. It was a civil marriage without the approval of the Church. 2. My father had been married many times previously? Thus, would my mother be free to Marry again within the confines of Church Law and regulation? Thank You.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

If your mother becomes a Catholic, the marriage tribunal will have to verify objectively that her marriage to your Catholic father was indeed outside of the Catholic Church and therefore invalid. This should be a simple procedure.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.