Same couple divorce then remarry

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If a couple (both practicing Catholics) were married in the church - then divorced but never filed for an annulment - and now want to remarry EACH other again - what does the church say about that? Can they just remarry? Do they have to do anything church related? Wife has continued to go to Mass and husband will be returning to church.
 
They were never not married in the eyes of the church. All they have to do is “kiss and make up” so to speak.
 
Most likely, they just need to go to confession (if they haven’t already). Let’s rejoice that they are returning to one another
 
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Maximilian75 said:
They were never not married in the eyes of the church. All they have to do is “kiss and make up” so to speak.
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For the Church, that’s fine, but if they had a civil divorce, they should probably have a quiet civil re-marriage to re-establish all spousal legal rights. The civil and religious statuses should be aligned. Things like survivor’s pension rights for the surviving spouse should the other die, might depend on it, as well as health care plans in the workplace, and that sort of thing.
 
Obviously, civil laws which purport to end marriages are unjust, since they are contrary to truth and involve explicit endorsement of moral evil. Obeying unjust civil laws (when they do not expressly command sin) is a matter of prudence not obedience.

That said, someone in the situation mentioned by the OP should get civilly “re-married” to ensure that they have all the civil benefits of marriage.
 
In this case, absolutely, they should have a civil marriage to re-establish their civil rights. If no declaration of nullity has been given, the Church still considers them married. They may, however, decide to have a Church ceremony in which they renew their vows. It must be recognized, though, that this is just a re-affirmation of their commitment, and not a second marriage in the Church. (I know that there is an official ceremony for renewing vows; my parents did it for their 25th wedding anniversary, I do recognize that wedding vows don’t “expire” or anything.)
 
interestingly, civil law often requires that a minister and witness sign that they had a marriage ceremony. Would the priest and witness thereby lie by signing saying they got married?
 
In this case the couple are still considered to be married in the Church. They could validly marry in a civil ceremony because their sacramental marriage still exists. All that’s necessary is for it to be recognized under civil law. A second Church wedding ceremony is not possible.
 
They are still married. A secular “divorce” to the church is worth no more than the paper it’s written on.
 
DignumEtJustum said:
They are still married. A secular “divorce” to the church is worth no more than the paper it’s written on.
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Not entirely. The Church can and does suggest a secular divorce if such is needed to protect the rights of one of the parties or of the children.

From the CCC:
2383 The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law. If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense.
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That does not end the marriage from the perspective of the Church though. The canon simply acknowledges that there are situations where it may be necessary for protection.
 
That’s true, but my response was to the statement that a civil divorce is not worth the paper it is printed on. Since it can be morally justified for protection, it is in fact, worth more than the paper it is printed on in some circumstances. What it doesn’t do, of course, is alter the sacramental nature and permanence of the union.
 
The pertinent point is that it’s worthless qua divorce, since what it purports to do is impossible.

It’s also usually worthless as a just legal act generally, since most divorces are not obtained for just reasons, nor do most Catholics who divorce obtain the required permission from their bishop.
 
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