Pauline privilage?

[Musbeus]

I am not sure if I understand the Pauline privilage. Many years ago, I had been pushed into a marriage at the age of 17. Neither of us had been baptized. I eventually left after several years of abuse and the death of our daughter. I have remained alone almost 10 years but since coming home to the Catholic Church sometimes wonder what if. I was told that when I was ready he would help me file for the Pauline privilage. Can anyone share any information about it?

 

[kage_ar]

Your best course is to contact your Diocese Tribunal, usually one begins with their own Priest.

They will step you through the processes to investigate your marriage.

 

[quiet52]

I am not sure if I understand the Pauline privilage. Many years ago, I had been pushed into a marriage at the age of 17. Neither of us had been baptized. I eventually left after several years of abuse and the death of our daughter. I have remained alone almost 10 years but since coming home to the Catholic Church sometimes wonder what if. I was told that when I was ready he would help me file for the Pauline privilage. Can anyone share any information about it?

This is called a “Privilege of the Faith Dissolution” of a valid natural marriage (both spouses are unbaptized at the time of marriage) which ends up in divorce. It’s based on 1 Corinthians 7:12-15, are when two unbaptized people get married and then get divorced. Once the marriage tribunal in your diocese looks at that marriage and dissolves it, you would be free to marry a Christian.

secondexodus.com/html/catholicdefinitions/paulineprivilege.htm

 

[1ke]

I suggest you obtain the book Annulment: The Wedding That Was by Michael Smith Foster.

He covers both decrre of nullity and dissolution of the bond through the Pauline Privilege in his book.

This will help you understand all the aspects of your situation and what may apply to you.

 

[puzzleannie]

I am not sure if I understand the Pauline privilage. Many years ago, I had been pushed into a marriage at the age of 17. Neither of us had been baptized. I eventually left after several years of abuse and the death of our daughter. I have remained alone almost 10 years but since coming home to the Catholic Church sometimes wonder what if. I was told that when I was ready he would help me file for the Pauline privilage. Can anyone share any information about it?

don’t worry about whether that applies in your situation, let the canon law people answer that, all you need to is go to your pastor, explain the entire situation, and let him take it from there. In the interview which you complete to initiate the tribunal process to make the judgment on validity of your marriage, you describe those circumstances pertaining at the time of your marriage in detail, and give contact info for witnesses who can attest to those facts.

if neither of you was baptized at the time of marriage, it may apply, but its use actually is pretty rare and there are specific conditions. abuse during the marriage, sad as it is, and reasonable as it is to seek a civil divorce to protect oneself and children from that situation, does not make the marriage invalid. the element of force, particularly since you were a minor, in all likelihood is a strong ground.

since this question usually comes up on these threads, no you were not required to get an annulment before being received into the Church if you had not remarried. However, if you may want to marry in the future, now is the time to take care of this.

 

[Just_Lurking]

Once the marriage tribunal in your diocese looks at that marriage and dissolves it, you would be free to marry a Christian.

The tribunal grants the application for the Pauline privilege, but does not actually dissolve the first marriage. Theologically speaking, it is the second marriage itself that dissolves the first marriage.

 

[Musbeus]

Thank you for your replies. I will read that book. Just didn’t understand what they were telling me that needed to done. I have not attempted to date or remarry and have been accepted into the church.

 

[cameron_lansing]

The tribunal grants the application for the Pauline privilege, but does not actually dissolve the first marriage. Theologically speaking, it is the second marriage itself that dissolves the first marriage.

The theological contents for canons 1143-1147 are chiefly found in First Corinthians 7:12-15.

The local ordinary conducts the process of investigation and the interpellations (the kinds of questions in those canons) and declares the privilege operative if the conditions are met but he can delegate this to another.

That other is often the judicial vicar, and thus the investigation to see if the conditions for the privilege are present is done at the tribunal in many cases. However, it may be delegated to someone else and be “processed” outside of a tribunal. That’s more or less where they store the canonists.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

The tribunal grants the application for the Pauline privilege, but does not actually dissolve the first marriage. Theologically speaking, it is the second marriage itself that dissolves the first marriage.

Correct. Other main features I would highlight about the Pauline Privilege are that it only comes into play if the unbaptized party refuses to continue living peacefully with the now-baptized party (and the baptized party has given no reason to provoke this beyond the obvious fact of becoming Christian) and that the unbaptized party is also asked whether he/she is willing to receive baptism.