There is ONE Baptism according to St. Paul. Once Baptized you can never be “re-baptized”. A validly Baptized protestant Christian who wishes to come into full union with the Catholic Church is never “re-baptized”. A validly Baptized protestant Christian who wishes to Marry a Catholic in the Catholic Church or a validly Baptized Protestant who becomes Catholic and wishes to Marry, is never required to be “re-Baptized”.
If your a Baptized Protestant who married validly ( without any prior marriage for either you or your spouse) then that Marriage is recognized as valid in the Catholic Church and no other action is necessary. However if the Marriage is a second or third for either of you. An Annulment process must be followed and if granted then the Marriage must be Convalidated.
I think the problem lies more in the fact that she is married to a married man. Meaning that until the husband gets an annullment, he is still considered married in the eyes of the church. She is involved in an adulterous situation. Again, keep in mind that the church will view him as still being married to the first wife until proven otherwise through the annullment process. Once the annullment process is complete, and provided the annullment is granted she can then receive the sacraments in the church and have her marriage convalidated, which simply means blessed by the church. This is not the same as having a wedding in the church, although there are many who will turn this into a big celebration and invite many guests to witness the joyful event. This is an event that can be done privately or with guests. The convalidation is done so that the couple can move forward knowing that the church recognizes thier marriage as a sacramental one.
This is basically true. Another alternative is for the wife to repent of her adulterous situation and obtain a civil divorce from her husband; this is another way she could join the Catholic Church.
I try to get action started on this as soon as possible, since it may be the long pole in the tent. I usually ask when the person first contacts me. Errors happen and questions that should be asked are sometimes forgotten; so bring it up yourself as soon as possible.
Exactly, it never existed as a sacramental marriage. It was a legal, putative marriage so any children are legitimate.
Um, the answer is that you do not need to be “remarried.” If both parties are validly married (i.e., first marriage for both) then there is no need to remarry unless one of the parties was already Catholic and the marriage took place outside the auspices of the Church. If that were the case, a convalidation (blessing of the marriage) would need to take place.
If she wants to come into the Church her marriage would have to be examined to see if it’s valid. This means the man’s first marriage would have to be submitted to the annulment process. If an annulment is granted she would be permitted to enter the Church. If it is not, she cannot enter the Church while in that “irregular union.”
It’s very similar to the old movies (before the days of no-fault divorce) where you hear the husband complaining that his wife won’t give him a divorce.
Both spouses have the opportunity to contribute evidence, both pro and con, to the annulment proceedings. If one of the spouses feels their rights aren’t being respected, they can hire a canon lawyer to represent them.
Then, if it is granted, you quick appeal to Rome.