Marriage and Divorce and Remarriage

[Maranda]

Hello, I am wanting some understanding on marriage, divorce and remarriage. I have never been baptized and was married, the first at the age of 18 for 32 years and then remained unmarried for 10 year. I have been married to my current husband for 10 years. I have always loved the Catholic Church and wanted to be a Catholic. In the research that I have done, I will not be allowed to join the Catholic Church because of my marriages and divorce. I know my former husband would never agree to an annulment and I know an annulment would also upset my grown children. I would never do anything to destroy or damage my relationship with my sons, even if that means I have to deny my desire to becoming a Catholic. My current husband has no interest in the church and would not be interested in joining the church. To the best of my knowledge there is no other church that would deny a person membership because of marriage and divorced. Could someone please help me understand why the church has this rule? The church must realize it is losing many wonderful potential members, who love God, by this rule. I truly don’t think Jesus himself would ever deny wonderful people access to the Catholic Church. Many Blessings

 

[Mtatum1958]

I cannot know the research that you have done, but I urge you to start a conversation with your (a) local priest. The situations may not be as difficult as you see them now.

 

[joeybaggz]

Your question comes up probably at least once a week in one form or another. While not getting into specifics, the RCC takes Jesus’ words, “what God has joined together, no man may divide.” If the church believes that a valid marriage has occurred, it is for life and no one can divide it. There are many reasons why a valid marriage may have never occurred, but your statement indicates that this would not be of interest to you for the reasons you cited. That being said, you might talk with a knowledgeable priest at a local Catholic Church, tell him your situation and desire, and see what he would advise you. There are some winds blowing in the RCC attempting to rectify some of the “irregular” situations that do arise.