Should I attend my Catholic cousin's non-Catholic wedding?

[ptlmom]

Hi,

I’m wondering what The Church teaches on this. My cousin, who is “Catholic” not sure if she’s practicing, has chosen to have an outdoor wedding and therefore, it will be administered by a Christian Minister. Her future husband is also Catholic. To my knowledge, neither of them have renounced their Catholic faith. Apparently, her priest will be blessing the marriage when they come back home. I don’t believe they have a dispensation from their Bishop. Would I be causing scandal by attending this wedding? Or, should I defer to the authority of her priest who is blessing this marriage?

Thank you,

Susie

 

[Thomas63116]

Hi,

I’m wondering what The Church teaches on this. My cousin, who is “Catholic” not sure if she’s practicing, has chosen to have an outdoor wedding and therefore, it will be administered by a Christian Minister. Her future husband is also Catholic. To my knowledge, neither of them have renounced their Catholic faith. Apparently, her priest will be blessing the marriage when they come back home. I don’t believe they have a dispensation from their Bishop. Would I be causing scandal by attending this wedding? Or, should I defer to the authority of her priest who is blessing this marriage?

Thank you,

Susie

Unless your cousin has received a dispensation, the Church would view this as a “presumptively invalid” marriage. Catholics are not prohibited from attending such a ceremony but you will get a lot of conflicting opinions about whether it is prudent in a given situation. This post from the Ask an Apologist Forum provides some good information:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=167154

 

[kage_ar]

And are you sure that her Priest said “sure, I’ll convalidate your wedding when you get home”? (It would be a convalidation, not a blessing).

For the Priests I know, they would have to go through all the marriage prep just like any other non-married couple - because they will be non-married in the eyes of the Church. It would take 6 months to a year before they could have a convalidation.

I’d not attend the invalid wedding service.