May a Catholic married, divorced, and currently married outside of the Church receive Communion?

[CapitalT]

My mother, a baptized Catholic, has been married and divorced several times, all outside of the Church. She is currently married to another baptized Catholic, yet they were married in a civil ceremony without a priest. She has recently started attending mass again and receiving the Eucharist. She has not been to confession in years.

What must my mother do to validly receive the Eucharist? Must she receive annulments of all previous marriages and a blessing on her current marriage, in addition to forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist?

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

The marriages outside of the Church should not be difficult to deal with. But the marriage tribunal does have to ascertain that they were indeed outside of the Catholic Church. If the Catholic to whom she is civilly married, has not been married to anyone else who is still living, then they can be married in the Catholic Church. Then and ONLY then, may they have marital relations and receive Holy Communion.

Further, they will both need to go to Confession before receiving the sacrament s of Matrimony and Eucharist.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.