My non catholic fiance is divorced... does she need an annulment?

[rubenzillo]

hello my lovely fiance was previously married and now divorced.
her first marriage was done on a beach. they are both baptized non catholic christians.

my question is… is her first marriage valid in the eyes of the church? and does she need an annulment in order to marry me in the catholic church? even though it was just a justice of peace marriage on a beach by two noncatholic christians?

thanks in advance!

 

[FrDavid96]

hello my lovely fiance was previously married and now divorced.
her first marriage was done on a beach. they are both baptized non catholic christians.

my question is… is her first marriage valid in the eyes of the church? and does she need an annulment in order to marry me in the catholic church? even though it was just a justice of peace marriage on a beach by two noncatholic christians?

thanks in advance!

What you really need to do is discuss this with your own parish priest.

He will gather all the facts and the necessary documentation and (most likely) submit this to the diocese.

Here, you’re likely to get all kinds of answers from people–none of whom can actually answer your question; Although that won’t stop them from trying.

Talk to your priest, and please do so sooner rather than later.

 

[puzzleannie]

hello my lovely fiance was previously married and now divorced.
her first marriage was done on a beach. they are both baptized non catholic christians.

my question is… is her first marriage valid in the eyes of the church? and does she need an annulment in order to marry me in the catholic church? even though it was just a justice of peace marriage on a beach by two noncatholic christians?

thanks in advance!

no way to answer as we cannot possibly be in possession of all the facts
short answer, probably yes
unless one of the parties was ever baptized Catholic, in which case the process would merely need to establish lack of form (ie., they did not get married according to Church laws).
she needs to visit with your priest, lay out all the facts, and go from there
until it is established that she is indeed free to marry, it should go without saying there is no romantic relationship.

be prepared for a long list of answers here, 90% of which will be irrelevant to your own situation. See your own priest today. You cannot become engaged to anyone until you have established that the person is free to marry, and by definition someone previously married and divorced is still married, unless and until it is proven that the first marriage was invalid.

 

[joanofarc2008]

You need to talk to your parish priest. As soon as possible - before you make any wedding plans or put any money down on anything.

 

[Joe_5859]

Here, you’re likely to get all kinds of answers from people–none of whom can actually answer your question; Although that won’t stop them from trying.

We do like to try.

Yes, you need to discuss this with your priest. It is certainly possible that an annulment would be needed. And you probably want to find that out as soon as you can.

 

[1ke]

my question is… is her first marriage valid in the eyes of the church?

Based on what you have relayed here, yes.

She needs to lay out all the facts to your priest. There could be things-- such as prior marriages for either party, baptismal status, and other things that impact the situation. There will be documentation to gather and facts to sort through.

and does she need an annulment in order to marry me in the catholic church?

Yes, likely so. Again, see your priest.

And, a decree of nullity is not guaranteed. Her first marriage may have been perfectly valid. So, don’t approach things as if this is a mere formality. It isn’t. She would have to have grounds for invalidity.

even though it was just a justice of peace marriage on a beach by two noncatholic christians?

Yes. Generally speaking non-Catholics marry validly when they marry civilly.

Exceptions include things like one person being a baptized member of an Orthodox Church, a fallen away Catholic, a prior bond or other impediment, etc.

 

[figs]

Here, you’re likely to get all kinds of answers from people–none of whom can actually answer your question; Although that won’t stop them from trying.

LOL Father, you know how we are npatrol:

I agree … talk to your priest ASAP

 

[Cider]

Short answer yes, the marriages of non Catholics and non Christians are presumed to be valid.

 

[FrDavid96]

LOL Father, you know how we are npatrol:

I agree … talk to your priest ASAP

Well, I didn’t mean it “that way.”

What I was trying to say is that this type of situation is very complicated, and it can only be addressed by a priest (or someone else in the right position) in person. It’s not something that can be answered on an internet forum. The only “right answer” is talk to the pastor.

All it takes is one piece of information that “seems” to be right, but after a few more questions are answered it turns out that things were not what they seemed at first. And that can cause a lot of problems.

 

[figs]

Well, I didn’t mean it “that way.”

What I was trying to say is that this type of situation is very complicated, and it can only be addressed by a priest (or someone else in the right position) in person. It’s not something that can be answered on an internet forum. The only “right answer” is talk to the pastor.

All it takes is one piece of information that “seems” to be right, but after a few more questions are answered it turns out that things were not what they seemed at first. And that can cause a lot of problems.

You are so very right, Father…

I was just poking a little fun :getholy: lol