What would be the pastoral marriage prep for those previously in gay marriage?

[techdecisions]

A deacon friend posed this question to me which he had posed to a presenter for a diocesan annulment conference for deacons. No answer. I posed same question to six ordained priests, both secular and religious. No answer. Your insights would be truly welcome. Thank you.

· A Catholic person never married, wants to marry…

· A non-Catholic validly married in a civil marriage, which was a gay marriage in a state where gay marriage is recognized.

I can reasonably guess at how this would be handled if the latter person were Catholic. I really have no clue as to what the best pastoral response would be in the proposed situation? How would the Church counsel the ordained performing the marriage prep to counsel the proposed couple? Thank you.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

I trust that the Catholic is intending to marry a person of the opposite sex. The non-Catholic who had been married to a member of the same sex would have get a divorce for matters of civil law. There would be no reason for attempting an annulment since there can be no valid marriage between two members of the same sex—no matter how valid the state deems it to be.

In preparing such a couple for marriage in the Catholic Church, there ought to be some discernment regarding the ability of the person with same sex attraction to maintain a marriage with a person of the opposite sex.

This is really a no-brainer. I can’t understand why there was so much confusion for people who should know this.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.