Marriage outside the Church

[lakotak]

I have a question. If for both people this is their second marriage outside the Church would they have to go through an annulment process to be married in the Church? The one party is Catholic, the other one is not. I am not familiar with marriage and annulments and what the Church teachings are. Thanks

 

[Thomas63116]

I have a question. If for both people this is their second marriage outside the Church would they have to go through an annulment process to be married in the Church? The one party is Catholic, the other one is not. I am not familiar with marriage and annulments and what the Church teachings are. Thanks

Your post is a little ambiguous. Do you mean two people, now married outside the Church, who want to have their marriage recognized by the Catholic Church? One is Catholic, the other non-Catholic, and both have been married once previously, outside the Church.

Is that the situation?

 

[puzzleannie]

I have a question. If for both people this is their second marriage outside the Church would they have to go through an annulment process to be married in the Church? The one party is Catholic, the other one is not. I am not familiar with marriage and annulments and what the Church teachings are. Thanks

not enough info, and what there is contradicts
someone who is not Catholic cannot “marry outside the Church” because they are not bound by Catholic canon law on marriage. They are bound by natural law, so if they were validly married they many not attempt another marriage while the first spouse lives. If they divorce and subsequently either party wishes to marry a Catholic, the first marriage must be investigated by the canon law tribunal who will give a judgement of its validity. If it is found to be valid that is called a decree of nullity–a determination that no marriage has occurred because the elements necessary for valid marriage were not present at that time.

If a Catholic marries without regard for canon law–marries a non- Catholic, or not in a Catholic church, or not witnessed by a Catholic cleric for instance, without the proper permission from the bishop–their marriage is invalid due to lack of form. The marriage can be convalidated if both parties want to stay married. If they have obtained a civil divorce, there is not a full-blown annulment investigation, but they must provide the relevant evidence and have the pastor take care of documenting that they are now free to marry, because they have never been validly married.

If in any of these cases one party is Catholic and one is not, or has been married before, things get more complicated. The only place an individual can get an answer relevant to their own personal situation is from the Catholic pastor, after he has been given all the relevant information. He will advise them on how to proceed.

 

[lakotak]

Your post is a little ambiguous. Do you mean two people, now married outside the Church, who want to have their marriage recognized by the Catholic Church? One is Catholic, the other non-Catholic, and both have been married once previously, outside the Church.

Is that the situation?

This is the second marriage for both. None of the marriages have been in the Catholic Church, but the one is a confirmed Catholic. What would they need to do to be married in the Church. Both have civil divorces.

 

[FrDavid96]

This is the second marriage for both. None of the marriages have been in the Catholic Church, but the one is a confirmed Catholic. What would they need to do to be married in the Church. Both have civil divorces.

Both would have to petition for a declaration of nullity for the first marriages (or produce death certificates if either spouse has died). Both first marriages would have to be declared null before seeking marriage in the Church. There would be a separate process, and separate decisions with regard to both marriages.

That’s the short answer. There are a lot more “if A then B” possibilities here, but suffice to say that both first-marriages would have to be declared null (one way or another) before this couple could be married in the Church.

 

[lakotak]

I would like to thank all of you for the information.