One or two annulments needed?

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A friend was married to a lady who converted from being Catholic to being Baptist before they married. They were married in the Baptist church.
then divorced.
then married again in the Baptist church.
then divorced.
Now he is dating a Catholic.

Will he need two annulments, or just one annulment for the first marriage?
 
That will depend on whether the (former) Catholic had permission to marry in a non-Catholic church. Without permission, the Catholic Church would call this a lack of form and no marriage would have occurred. In that case, all that would be needed is documentation.

Your friend’s fiancee should talk with her pastor to sort things out and see what documentation will be needed.
 
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Anyone seeking marriage in the Catholic Church must be determined free to marry. Any previous attempts at marriage must be investigated. This may or may not lead to nullity investigations, depending on the details.
 
I suggest your friend does one of two things. He can speak to his priest who will know what to do. If for any reason he prefers not to talk this through with his priest, he should contact his diocesan tribunal who will be happy to help.
 
As far as I know, only the first marriage need be annulled since you are talking about the same two people.
 
I think it depends on how much time passed between the first and second marriage. You need to contact the marriage tribunal in your diocese to clarify.
 
I suppose one annullment is enough. You can´t marry anyone more than once since marriage lasts forever.
 
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I think it depends on how much time passed between the first and second marriage.
???

No, that’s not relevant. (Any other attempts at marriage in the time between the two ‘weddings’ might be, though!)

There are many many issues that you don’t mention in your question, and they come into play when attempting to answer your question. First off, it’s necessary to ask about all marriages for this couple, and all marriages for their respective spouses (and their respective spouses, etc, etc, etc).

Second, we might want to ask about the details and the timeline your friend’s (and his first wife’s) religious affiliations. Is he a baptized Catholic? As a child? Her too?

Third, we might want to ask about the timing of his first wife’s ‘conversion’ away from Catholicism? Interestingly enough, the point in time – and the facts of what she did in order to ‘leave’ the Church – have a bearing on the answer.

The answer really does depend on a host of additional questions. Your friend should see a priest who is well-versed in the canon law of marriage.

However, one simple answer (and maybe even a correct one!) might be this: if he needs an annulment from his first wife, and – all other things being equal – there is no additional relevant information that you haven’t presented, then if the first ‘wedding’ was valid, then the second one is irrelevant – the divorce didn’t ‘invalidate’ the marriage, so “one nullity.” On the other hand, if the first wedding wasn’t valid, then it’s possible that neither was the second, and therefore, “one nullity.”

There’s really too many unknowns to give you a definitive answer, however.
 
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Have your friend go talk to a priest or someone at the diocesan tribunal.

Not enough details were given; and you may not be privy to important information.

It’s very likely that the first marriage is invalid due to lack of form, as is the second.

Lack of form cases are simple documentary ones, and do not take much time at all.

Just have him go see the parish priest. Whether it’s one or two issues they will be handled all at once by the tribunal.

Unless the lady or he were previously married before attempting marriage this is a simple issue to resolve.

Deacon Christopher
 
I wasn’t clear. He married someone else the second time.

When I talked to my priest, he said my friend would need two annulments, as there is no ‘lack of form’ for someone who is not Catholic.

Although, as I don’t have the info about the first wife’s conversion, perhaps that info will change things.

My priest said he knew a fellow who had been married 5 times as a Baptist, and he needed 5 annulments!

Thank you all for your ideas.
 
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I think either you or the priest misunderstood the first scenario you presented. If the first wife was a baptized Catholic, it doesn’t matter if she converted to being a Baptist. She was bound to follow the Catholic rule of marriage, which would result in a lack of form case.
If the second wife was not ever Catholic, that will require an investigation of the validity of that marriage.

He really needs to consult a priest.
 
If the first wife was a baptized Catholic, it doesn’t matter if she converted to being a Baptist.
That depends on when she left the Church, and how she did it. The 1983 Code of Canon Law introduced a relevant loophole, and up until it was later closed, it might affect the answer in this case.
He really needs to consult a priest.
Yup. And one who’s not only solidly orthodox, but well-versed in the canon law of marriage.
 
That depends on when she left the Church, and how she did it. The 1983 Code of Canon Law introduced a relevant loophole, and up until it was later closed, it might affect the answer in this case.
Yes—I was assuming she didn’t make an actual formal defection from the Church, since that was quite rare. But anything is possible.
 
I was assuming she didn’t make an actual formal defection from the Church
The problem is that there was never an authoritative definition of what a “formal defection from the Church” actually was. 😆
 
Although it generally required notification in writing—most people just sort of drift away.
 
A friend was married to a lady who converted from being Catholic to being Baptist before they married. They were married in the Baptist church.
then divorced.
then married again in the Baptist church.
then divorced.
Now he is dating a Catholic.

Will he need two annulments, or just one annulment for the first marriage?
If it occurred between 1983 and 2010, and there was formal defection from the Catholic church, bu the Catholic, in writing given to the Catholic Church, then the form of marriage would not be an issue. Otherwise the Catholic Church would need to approve the Catholic marriage with a Baptist.
 
Interesting.
So does “it” refer to when the person left the catholic church or to when they married?

I thought the sacrament of confirmation would have some bearing. ?
 
Interesting.
So does “it” refer to when the person left the catholic church or to when they married?

I thought the sacrament of confirmation would have some bearing. ?
The marriage.

If there was no formal defection, then the Catholic is bound to get any approval for marriage from the Catholic Church. So if the Catholic lady did not get that approval there would be a lack of form for marriage and it would be easy to document the first marriage as null with a marriage certificate and a Catholic baptismal certificate.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/p..._intrptxt_doc_20060313_actus-formalis_en.html
 
When I talked to my priest, he said my friend would need two annulments, as there is no ‘lack of form’ for someone who is not Catholic.
Your friend needs to be declared free to marry. That’s not the same things as needing two decrees of nullity. He may, or he may not. You mention his first marriage was to a lapsed Catholic. That marriage may indeed be a lack of form marriage on her part, which would mean it’s a paperwork process rather than a tribunal case.

Both marriages absolutely would have to be investigated. Baptismal status (of both parties), prior marital status (of both parties), and many other factors go in to whether these investigations ultimately lead to tribunal nullity cases or whether they lead to lack of form documentation or Ligamen (prior bond) cases, or dissolution of the bond under Petrine Privilege.

The details matter. So the best course of action is for your friend to start an investigation with his local Catholic parish by making an appointment with the pastor.
 
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