She Was Never Baptized!

[The_Wizard]

I just found out that my former wife was never baptized in any church. Finding this out after 18 years of marriage and 17 years after the divorce speaks volumes for the relationship but that is for another posting. My question is what effect this fact of her not being baptized will have on my effort to get an annulment. I was told by a priest that the marriage was not sacramental from the start. I know there is something called a “dispensation from disparity of cult” but I am not aware that such a dispensation was granted. If a dispensation was granted, should I have been aware of it? Then there is the Pauline and Petrine Privileges. How should I proceed?

 

[puzzleannie]

no way to answer. Talk to your priest, give him all the relevant facts about your background and hers and the circumstances that pertained at the time of the marriage and let him guide you. If you did marry in the Church you would have been required to both submit proof of baptism, and if she was not baptized, you would have needed a dispensation from the bishop to marry her, but that is something the priest preparing you for marriage takes care of. No way to know until you get the process started. See your pastor (after the holidays, he is pretty busy this week).

 

[jimrob]

Grounds for annulment can include non-disclosure. Your argument would be that if you had known she was not baptised, you would never have married her in the first place. That would be a weak argument on its own, but it could help to build up the overall picture that the marriage was not valid.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Grounds for annulment can include non-disclosure. Your argument would be that if you had known she was not baptised, you would never have married her in the first place. That would be a weak argument on its own, but it could help to build up the overall picture that the marriage was not valid.

Would that have indeed been an impediment to the marriage? Would he have really never married her had he known?

BTW: Isn’t this something that normally comes up in the dating stage prior to engagement?

 

[The_Wizard]

BTW: Isn’t this something that normally comes up in the dating stage prior to engagement?

As I originally posted, how and when I learned that she was not baptized speaks volumes about the problems with the marriage. Let us just say I should have not gotten married at the time I did. It was an ill concieved plan on both our parts. Too bad I felt there was no one I could express my concerns to. I now think that if I had told my dad I was having serious second thoughts about getting married he would have “help me escape”. At least I hope he would have done that. Not that I did not had feeling for Linda but I just wasn’t sure I should be marrying her at the time I did.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

If she was not baptized the marriage is not sacramental. It might be possible to get a dissolution via Petrine Privilege, Favor of the Faith. If so, it is a lot easier and quicker than getting a decree of nullity.

You need to talk this over with someone familiar with the Tribunal processes. Get all the facts on the table and let him sort them out to determine the best approach.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Grounds for annulment can include non-disclosure. Your argument would be that if you had known she was not baptised, you would never have married her in the first place. That would be a weak argument on its own, but it could help to build up the overall picture that the marriage was not valid.

Not being baptized is not a bar to get married. But of course if they sought a Sacramental marriage and the woman was not baptized, then it wasn’t a Sacramental marriage. If there was a disparity of cult, then it would have been recognized by the Church. But if there isn’t, then there’s a good chance an annulment is granted. Best to talk to someone from the diocese’s marriage tribunal to evaluate this.