Previous marriages to divorced persons and converting

[Suzwaters]

I have been married and divorced twice, both were married and divorced prior to our marriages . I am now married to a widower. Is there any possibility I could be accepted into the Catholic Church?

 

[Nihilo]

I think 100% possibility but I could be wrong.

 

[Dlee]

Contact a priest and be open and willing to follow his advice. They know the procedures.

 

[achmafooma]

Definitely speak to a priest. He will guide you through the process of getting everything straightened out.

Based on your description, it probably will not be very difficult. From a Catholic perspective, a marriage where one or both spouses are divorced (I assume without a Catholic annulment) is presumptively invalid. Therefore, because both of your previous marriages were to divorced persons, it’s likely that the church will be able to certify that your previous marriages were not sacramentally valid.

And that would mean that your current marriage can probably be recognized by the church as valid without much difficulty…at least, assuming there are no other impediments or issues that need to get worked through.

But I am just a random guy on the Internet . A priest can give you more sure guidance and ensure that everything is handled properly. God bless you!

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

From a Catholic perspective, a marriage where one or both spouses are divorced (I assume without a Catholic annulment) is presumptively invalid. Therefore, because both of your previous marriages were to divorced persons, it’s likely that the church will be able to certify that your previous marriages were not sacramentally valid.

And that would mean that your current marriage can probably be recognized by the church as valid without much difficulty…at least, assuming there are no other impediments or issues that need to get worked through.

This may not necessarily be true.

But I am just a random guy on the Internet . A priest can give you more sure guidance and ensure that everything is handled properly.

Indeed. Hence, the advice of the other posters to consult a priest. Prayers and all the best.

 

[BearingCross]

Lest we forget, our economy is nowhere near the same as it was during the 1950s and 1960s, either in terms of total wealth or in terms of structure. If it is unacceptable to divorce and then re-marry, there should also be some sort of stigma attached to moving away from your old neighborhood or leaving your old job.

 

[PHXsunsAZ]

It’s possible, but I would start by locating all your legal papers ahead of time if you don’t already have them (divorce decrees, marriage licenses, etc).

 

[1ke]

I have been married and divorced twice, both were married and divorced prior to our marriages . I am now married to a widower. Is there any possibility I could be accepted into the Catholic Church?

Please talk with your local priest. Take it one step at a time. Marriage situations need to be examined based on details, which we don’t have and are too complex to get into here.

Don’t be afraid to talk to the priest.

 

[1ke]

Based on your description, it probably will not be very difficult. From a Catholic perspective, a marriage where one or both spouses are divorced (I assume without a Catholic annulment) is presumptively invalid. Therefore, because both of your previous marriages were to divorced persons, it’s likely that the church will be able to certify that your previous marriages were not sacramentally valid.

This is inaccurate information. Please don’t give out information when you don’t have facts.

 

[achmafooma]

This is inaccurate information. Please don’t give out information when you don’t have facts.

What part of my reply was inaccurate? I’m happy to be corrected if I got something wrong…

She stated that both of her previous marriages were to men who had been married and divorced prior to her marrying them. That would probably mean that in neither case were both spouses free to marry. Of course that all needs to be examined and verified…like I (and many others) have said, she needs to speak to a priest and work through the details.

But previous marriages where one or both spouses were not free to marry (Prior Bond) tend to be some of the more straightforward cases, compared to a lot of the other things I see in my work with RCIA catechumens and candidates.

https://www.archbalt.org/marriage-tribunal/types-of-annulments-prior-bond-and-impediments/

 

[LilyM]

1ke:

This is inaccurate information. Please don’t give out information when you don’t have facts.

What part of my reply was inaccurate? I’m happy to be corrected if I got something wrong…

She stated that both of her previous marriages were to men who had been married and divorced prior to her marrying them. That would probably mean that in neither case were both spouses free to marry. Of course that all needs to be examined and verified…like I (and many others) have said, she needs to speak to a priest and work through the details.

But previous marriages where one or both spouses were not free to marry (Prior Bond) tend to be some of the more straightforward cases, compared to a lot of the other things I see in my work with RCIA catechumens and candidates.

https://www.archbalt.org/marriage-tribunal/types-of-annulments-prior-bond-and-impediments/

And one of the exes may have been a Catholic who not only divorced but also got an annulment and so was free to marry sacramemtally.

 

[Annie]

You should call your parish and explain this so they can connect you with the best person to speak to–some parishes have a special person to discuss these issues with.

We can give only the most general information, and can not give you a precise answer because there are details we don’t even know to ask you about.

And welcome

 

[whatistrue]

our economy is nowhere near the same as it was during the 1950s and 1960s

And what does this have to do with the subject? The teaching about remarriage after divorce is from nearly 2000 years ago, not the 1950s or 1960s and had has nothing to do with economics as far as I have ever heard.

 

[achmafooma]

And one of the exes may have been a Catholic who not only divorced but also got an annulment and so was free to marry sacramemtally.

Thank you. I mentioned in my post that I was assuming that was not the case…perhaps I could have been a bit more clear about how that would change the situation if true. I apologize if I introduced any confusion.

At the risk of repeating myself, to the original poster, go see a priest . God bless.

 

[HopkinsReb]

Lest we forget, our economy is nowhere near the same as it was during the 1950s and 1960s, either in terms of total wealth or in terms of structure. If it is unacceptable to divorce and then re-marry, there should also be some sort of stigma attached to moving away from your old neighborhood or leaving your old job.

Not relevant to this thread, but you should make a new thread to discuss this because I have no idea what you’re getting at here.

 

[1ke]

What part of my reply was inaccurate?

All of it. Particularly this:

Based on your description, it probably will not be very difficult. From a Catholic perspective, a marriage where one or both spouses are divorced (I assume without a Catholic annulment) is presumptively invalid.

This is not a true statement. There may or may not be a case for Ligamen. Each marriage needs to be examined for nullity in the order they occurred.

 

[MiserereMeiDei]

Will that made absolutely no sense

 

[JulianN]

Lest we forget, our economy is nowhere near the same as it was during the 1950s and 1960s, either in terms of total wealth or in terms of structure. If it is unacceptable to divorce and then re-marry, there should also be some sort of stigma attached to moving away from your old neighborhood or leaving your old job.

Did you mean to type this in another thread? It doesn’t seem to fit the subject matter here.

 

[Usige]

Lest we forget, our economy is nowhere near the same as it was during the 1950s and 1960s, either in terms of total wealth or in terms of structure. If it is unacceptable to divorce and then re-marry, there should also be some sort of stigma attached to moving away from your old neighborhood or leaving your old job.

Unfortunately this shows a complete lack of understanding about what Catholics believe about marriage. It is a sacramental bond and not an economic or social construct that simply changes with the times.

I am a bit flabbergasted that anyone would compare marriage to owning a house or a job that you simply change once it no longer suits you or you find something better.

 

[Horton]

This is not a true statement. There may or may not be a case for Ligamen. Each marriage needs to be examined for nullity in the order they occurred

This is just nit picking. @achmafooma gave generic advise with possibilities and what ifs. He/she in no way gave a definitive answer and also advised the person to call a priest.

While seeing a priest has to ultimately happen, the OP never asked a question about her marital situation. She asked if she could be welcomed into the Catholic Church. The answer is yes, she can be welcomed. Most of the responses to the OP were not welcoming at all.

Q “Can I be Catholic?” A “You better go talk to a priest”

What kind of advice is that? If I were a first time poster and was given the same type of response, I wouldn’t have ever came back.

Is there any possibility I could be accepted into the Catholic Church?

There is more than a possibility you can be accepted into the Catholic Church. Contact the parish office to get connected to the director of RCIA, which is the normal way of coming into the Church. Tell the RCIA director of your marital situation and he/she will be able to guide you on the next steps.

The Catholic Church has dealt with very messy marital situations and yours doesn’t seem to be impossible, not nearly as messy as most tribunals have dealt with. The process can become difficult but there are always solutions, don’t give up. You will be assigned and advocate and the advocate will be able to work out even the most impossible situations.

Welcome home!