Is this possible??

[J.W.B]

Is it possible for a man who is divorced (and who has joined a Catholic Church WITHOUT telling them he was once married) to get married in the Church? Would not the Church know that he was once married by a state record?

 

[neophyte]

It depends whether or not the original relationship was a valid marriage.

If it was, then I suppose one could still arrange to go through the ceremony but the new relationship would not be a valid marriage. One would place oneself in an extremely problematic moral situation by doing this, and could very well be in a state of mortal sin.

It seems to me that there is ample opportunity, when going through a divorce, to commit serious sins that would rightly be discussed in confession. To not do so may again be problematic.

The only way one could make sure to not be in this situation would be to be truthful to the priest and see if one could get a declaration of nullity.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

J.W.B.:

Is it possible for a man who is divorced (and who has joined a Catholic Church WITHOUT telling them he was once married) to get married in the Church? Would not the Church know that he was once married by a state record?

It is possible, in the sense that it falls with the scope of human ability to commit this act, but it is highly deceptive.

 

[Catholic2003]

J.W.B.:

Is it possible for a man who is divorced (and who has joined a Catholic Church WITHOUT telling them he was once married) to get married in the Church? Would not the Church know that he was once married by a state record?

Most priests will take you at your word, so it is possible to trick them by lying. A few priests will also want a signed statement from the parents of the bride and groom. I haven’t heard of any priests that check state records.

 

[marty1818]

If you want post on the Ask an Apologist.

matt

 

[slinky1882]

Catholic2003:

Most priests will take you at your word, so it is possible to trick them by lying. A few priests will also want a signed statement from the parents of the bride and groom. I haven’t heard of any priests that check state records.

Hmmm, in the diocese my fiance and I took out Engagement classes through, both sets of parents and we as a couple had to sign seperate statements related to impediments particularly (non-annuled marriages or vows to Holy Orders or perpetual virginity). The parents in fact had to fill out the forms at a seperate time than us or the other set. I’m surprised that wouldn’t do that everywhere if possible. Thanks and God Bless.

 

[slinky1882]

neophyte:

It depends whether or not the original relationship was a valid marriage.

If it was, then I suppose one could still arrange to go through the ceremony but the new relationship would not be a valid marriage. One would place oneself in an extremely problematic moral situation by doing this, and could very well be in a state of mortal sin.

It seems to me that there is ample opportunity, when going through a divorce, to commit serious sins that would rightly be discussed in confession. To not do so may again be problematic.

The only way one could make sure to not be in this situation would be to be truthful to the priest and see if one could get a declaration of nullity.

I would like to expand on one thing neophyte said. If the first marriage was a valid marriage, the ceremony could tale place through deception, but I believe the Sacrament would not be affected. (Please correct if I am wrong, as I believe a married individual cannot enter into a second marriage. The first marriage serves as a public impediment). Canon 1085 directly deals with this:

Can. 1085 §1 A person bound by the bond of a previous marriage, even if not consummated, invalidly attempts marriage.

§2 Even though the previous marriage is invalid or for any reason dissolved, it is not thereby lawful to contract another marriage before the nullity or the dissolution of the previous one has been established lawfully and with certainty.

Hope this helps. JWB, you’ve posted a lot of question related to marriage on these forums. Are any of these questions applying to someone in your personal life??? If so, you really need to speak to your pastor. Thanks and God Bless.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

This raises yet another question about marriages outside the Catholic Church.

We say that a couple living as husband and wife are living in sin because they are really unmarried, and that they shouldn’t receive the sacraments and all that.

If that marriage doesn’t work out, then to get married again we have to examine whether the original non-marriage was sacramental? How can a marriage be sacramental if performed by a judge? If it was sacramental or valid or whatever the technical criterion is, then how did we dare tell them they were living in sin in the first place and deny them the Eucharist – without a tribunal?

Alan

 

[Catholic2003]

AlanFromWichita:

We say that a couple living as husband and wife are living in sin because they are really unmarried, and that they shouldn’t receive the sacraments and all that.

If that marriage doesn’t work out, then to get married again we have to examine whether the original non-marriage was sacramental? How can a marriage be sacramental if performed by a judge?

A “lack of canonical form” investigation is merely a pro forma verification that the marriage did indeed take place outside the Church, and that at least one of the parties was Catholic at the time of the wedding. In some dioceses the priest can do it himself, but in most dioceses a tribunal representative must do the verification because some of the rules can get tricky. (For example, a Catholic marrying before a Protestant minister is invalid, but a Catholic marrying before an Eastern Orthodox priest is valid.)