Remarriage and Eucharist

[gracegray]

I have a friend who is considering RCIA. Her concern is that she married a divorced man, and that man and his first wife were baptized during their marriage. Would there be any impediment for the second wife (never married before) in being confirmed and receiving her first communion? I believe her marriage is considered valid, but not sacramental, but I’m not sure if the state of her marriage would be an issue that would keep her from being allowed to receive the eucharist.

 

[Labarum]

Was her husband’s past marriage acknowledged/ blessed by the Church?

Is their marriage acknowledged/ blessed by the Church?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I have a friend who is considering RCIA. Her concern is that she married a divorced man, and that man and his first wife were baptized during their marriage. Would there be any impediment for the second wife (never married before) in being confirmed and receiving her first communion? I believe her marriage is considered valid, but not sacramental, but I’m not sure if the state of her marriage would be an issue that would keep her from being allowed to receive the eucharist.

If your friend came to me to inquire about RCIA I would direct her to the pastor to discuss the marriage issue. In general, the Church believes that marriage is a lifetime commitment so someone cannot divorce and remarry. A Tribunal can investigate to see if the man’s marriage was valid or not. If it was invalid, then the couple can marry and she can enter the Catholic Church. There are a lot of questions that the pastor would ask in determining how best to proceed so it’s best for her to meet with the pastor (or other person in the parish who handles marriage cases) directly.

 

[puzzleannie]

I have a friend who is considering RCIA. Her concern is that she married a divorced man, and that man and his first wife were baptized during their marriage. Would there be any impediment for the second wife (never married before) in being confirmed and receiving her first communion? I believe her marriage is considered valid, but not sacramental, but I’m not sure if the state of her marriage would be an issue that would keep her from being allowed to receive the eucharist.

there is not enough information.
in general, if she married a divorced man whose first wife is still living, she is in an invalid marriage, and cannot receive other sacraments until that situation is resolved.

but it is useless to discuss these situations here since every marriage is unique. She has to sit down with the priest who will be receiving her into the church and explain the entire situation, and let him, or someone knowledgeable he delegates, ask the relevant questions.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

I believe her marriage is considered valid, but not sacramental …

There seems to be a little misunderstanding here. A marriage is a sacrament if both spouses are baptised. Nothing else makes it a sacrament or prevents it from being one.

If you friend’s husband is divorced and his former spouse is still alive and he has not been granted a decree of nullity of his former marriage there’s an issue. He is bound by the impediment of prior bond. He was not free to marry your friend. This means their marriage would, based on the facts given, be invalid. That decision, however, would be for the Church to decide. To resolve this situation your friend needs to discuss this matter with a priest. If she’s in an invalid marriage the Church teaches this is adultery (a harsh term I know, but a fact) thus she isn’t able to approach the sacraments.