Should I marry a non-Christian divorcee?

[eugenessohn]

I am dating a wonderful Jewish woman who is divorced from a previous Jewish marriage. If she obtained a get from her ex-husband, may we marry in the Catholic Church or should I be running away from the most wonderful woman I’ve met in a very, very, very long time?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

A *get *is a Jewish decree of divorce for a Jewish marriage. Jews obtain this religious decree of divorce, based on Mosaic Law (cf. Deut. 24:1), so that the couple will then be free to remarry in the Jewish religion. In order for you to marry your friend, she would have to be determined to be free to marry by the Catholic Church. This would mean placing her previous marriage before a Catholic marriage tribunal. Her previous marriage would not be sacramental because it was contracted by two non-Christians, but it would be presumed valid (i.e., a real marriage). For more information on this, I suggest speaking to your pastor. The resources on annulments at the links below should also be helpful.

This only answers the question of whether it is possible for you to marry a non-Christian divorcee. Whether you, as a Catholic, should marry any non-Christian is an entirely different question. Please see the links on interfaith marriage for information on that.

Recommended reading:

Is interfaith marriage advisable?
Should I marry a man of a different religion?
Annulments: What You Need to Know by Jimmy Akin
Annulments and the Catholic Church by Edward Peters