Question on divorce

[Rand_Al_Thor]

I had some street “hate” preacher tell me that he was a Catholic as a young kid. He said his father left the Church because his wife divorced him and the Church wouldn’t let him recieve the Eucharist. Now I didn’t want to tell him his dad was a liar or anything, but if someone (wife or husband) divorces their spouse and the spouse does not want the divorce, they aren’t stopped from recieving communion, are they??

 

[chevalier]

When the divorce happens against your will, you aren’t at fault. You can still be absolved, for all I know, if the spouse doesn’t want to reconcile with you and you abstain from sexual relations with other people.

 

[1ke]

Rand Al'Thor:

I had some street “hate” preacher tell me that he was a Catholic as a young kid. He said his father left the Church because his wife divorced him and the Church wouldn’t let him recieve the Eucharist. Now I didn’t want to tell him his dad was a liar or anything, but if someone (wife or husband) divorces their spouse and the spouse does not want the divorce, they aren’t stopped from recieving communion, are they??

Neither party is restricted from receiving the Eucharist by a divorce. It is not divorce that is an impediment to the Sacraments, although it is a serious sin and should be confessed.

If a couple divorces, and subsequently one remarries without an annulment-- then that party would not be able to receive. However, if the other spouse did not remarry they would be able to receive.

If the preacher’s father had contracted a second marriage without an annulment then he would indeed be unable to receive the Sacraments. If he was divorced and not remarried, or remarried after an annulment, then no problem.