Protestant marriage for catholic

[NetNuncio]

my sister in law (catholic) just eloped and was married to her husband (protestant) in a presbyterian church. Is her marriage invalid due to lack of form, or is this a valid marriage?

Adam

 

[Phemie]

Unless she had already seen her pastor for the pre-nuptial investigation and obtained a dispensation for lack of canonical form, her marriage is invalid.

 

[1ke]

In order for her marriage to be valid she would have had to:

1. Meet with her priest and complete any required paperwork and marriage prep classes
2. Receive permission to marry a non-Catholic
3. Receive a dispensation from Catholic form (and it would still have to meet the requirement of being a “public ceremony” so they would have to have had 2 witnesses).

 

[Ilroy]

Unless she had already seen her pastor for the pre-nuptial investigation and obtained a dispensation for lack of canonical form, her marriage is invalid.

But, they can have it normalized and then it will be valid. They need to talk to her priest post-haste and he can get the proper dispensations for marrying a non-Catholic and for lack of form. I’m almost positive it would be made valid after obtaining the dispensations.
And of course, she will need to go to confession for having relations outside of a valid marriage.