My Father-in-Law Got Remarried

[MJJean]

Yes, he is very knowledgeable. It is also what my wife and I had to do, as we got married outside the Church two years ago, and only this year got our marriage convalidated. So he does know that there is a way to right the situation.

Honestly I think sometimes he thinks he is above the rules. He is in a very prominant position in his career, and he has many friends who are priests. I don’t know if they stay silent, or if they don’t see a problem, or what.

If he knows and has not chosen to take action then I think about all you can do is pray for him and his wife, hope he has a change of heart, and maybe bring up the subject casually now and again.

It is good that she has reconciled with the Church. I am sorry they could not save their marriage.

Perhaps he has a lot of anger and emotion he has not dealt with, continue to suggest he talk to his pastor.

Yes, I agree that is a possibility. As someone currently going through the annulment process I cannot express how much it has helped me work out issues and discard baggage I didn’t even know I had. If he is still dealing with emotional fallout from the infidelity and the divorce perhaps he would be willing to apply for annulment if the family and pastor presented it not only as a way to get right with the Church, but to personally heal.

You ( meaning yourself and the rest of the family) could always play the “Don’t you love your wife enough to…” card.

Frankly, a lot of second marriages fail or at least become troubled from baggage carted around due to the first marriage. The healing of the annulment would help the second marriage greatly. And, as a Catholic, he knows his job is to help his wife get to heaven, right? So shouldn’t he apply for annulment for the sake of her soul?

 

[Miriam1947]

In my parish there is a couple who are married but never receive. They come to Mass and he also attends during the week.

Whatever their issue is, they do not feel that they should receive for whatever reason and it is none of my business.

To me it means they truly understand what receiving means.

 

[robwar]

My wife already approached him before the wedding. What would doing so again accomplish? He knew how she felt about it, but chose to do it anyway.

Since, you did approach them before hand and they know how you feel as well as knowing what the Church does teach in this area, then your basic idea is now to pray for them while keeping the lines of communication open instead of closing them is accurate. They are adults and should know better. He sounds like he thinks he is above rules of the Church. Sadly, there is nothing you can do with someone like that but pray for them to come to accept the truth and follow it. In the end he will answer to God which sounds scary because of his attitude about this and I am sure other things as well.

 

[HouseArrest]

Yes, he is very knowledgeable. It is also what my wife and I had to do, as we got married outside the Church two years ago, and only this year got our marriage convalidated. So he does know that there is a way to right the situation.

Honestly I think sometimes he thinks he is above the rules. He is in a very prominant position in his career, and he has many friends who are priests. I don’t know if they stay silent, or if they don’t see a problem, or what.

It could be that he is very knowledgeable, to the point that he knows it is a possibility his first marriage would not be declared null and that he could not marry his now “wife” in the church.