Why did my priest bless an invalid "marriage"?

[AdriannaJean]

This happened a couple years back, but it hasn’t occurred to me until now that there could be something wrong with this:

My dad and mom are divorced and my dad got married a second time without an annulment (outside of the church, obviously). But my parish priest came to the ceremony and either “blessed” it or said a prayer or something. Why was a priest allowed to bless or even attend a union that is intrinsically sinful?

 

[wanner47]

What makes you think the Church knew or approved of this priest’s actions?

 

[AdriannaJean]

I guess I don’t know if they knew or approved. I just kind of presumed that the priest wouldn’t do anything that was against the Church teaching. Are there any hard and fast rules regarding this?

 

[wanner47]

I guess I don’t know if they knew or approved. I just kind of presumed that the priest wouldn’t do anything that was against the Church teaching. Are there any hard and fast rules regarding this?

Boy, wouldn’t THAT be nice, if priests never did anything against Church teaching! Unfortunately, priests are sinners too. There are rules (see Canon Law) but they can’t be enforced unless the priest is reported to the bishop, which doesn’t always happen.

 

[Cluny]

This happened a couple years back, but it hasn’t occurred to me until now that there could be something wrong with this:

My dad and mom are divorced and my dad got married a second time without an annulment (outside of the church, obviously). But my parish priest came to the ceremony and either “blessed” it or said a prayer or something. Why was a priest allowed to bless or even attend a union that is intrinsically sinful?

You can always ask the priest why he did this yourself, can’t you? Isn’t he likely to give a better answer than anybody here?

And there’s also the possibility that he knew something about things that you didn’t.

 

[Seatuck]

I guess I don’t know if they knew or approved. I just kind of presumed that the priest wouldn’t do anything that was against the Church teaching. Are there any hard and fast rules regarding this?

I’m afraid you will have to ask him why he did it.

 

[cheese_sdc]

Why not be grateful that your parent is willing to be open to the working of Divinity through the Catholic Church? His relationship to God and the Catholic Church is really only his own business, and not ours.

 

[Holly3278]

Ask him why he did it. If he just simply said a prayer, I am not completely certain that that would be wrong. Of course, I very well could be wrong too.

 

[FrDavid96]

I guess I don’t know if they knew or approved. I just kind of presumed that the priest wouldn’t do anything that was against the Church teaching. Are there any hard and fast rules regarding this?

Yes, there are. Pope John Paul II wrote Familiaris Consortio in 1981. Here’s the direct answer to the question:
Similarly, the respect due to the sacrament of matrimony, to the couples themselves and their families, and also to the community of the faithful forbids any pastor for whatever reason or pretext, even of a pastoral nature, to perform ceremonies of any kind for divorced people who remarry. Such ceremonies would give the impression of the celebration of a new, sacramentally valid marriage and would thus lead people into error concerning the indissolubility of a validly contracted marriage. From #84 ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2FAMIL.HTM
The entire subject matter is more complex, and the Holy Father addressed this complexity not only in the rest of #84 (too long to quote) but in the entire Apostolic Exhortation. It’s only right to remind readers here to read the entire letter and not just that small quote. At the very least, read all of #84.

 

[FAB]

This happened a couple years back, but it hasn’t occurred to me until now that there could be something wrong with this:

My dad and mom are divorced and my dad got married a second time without an annulment (outside of the church, obviously). But my parish priest came to the ceremony and either “blessed” it or said a prayer or something. Why was a priest allowed to bless or even attend a union that is intrinsically sinful?

I would wonder if something else was happening. You said he came to the ceremony, in that itself is not intrinsically sinful, after all Jesus quite regularly went to the houses and dined with sinners.
Since you don’t know if he gave a blessing , there is not anything wrong with offering a prayer.
There is also a pastoral element to him being there. The preist may be seeing his role as way the guide your father to getting an annulment and eventually convalidating the marriage. Keeping the door open for them to be in full communion with the Church. All to often, individuales like your father, leave the Church because they feel they are no longer wanted. Since we in the Church are in the buisness of healing and forgiving it is important fr use not to turn our back on anyone, even those who remarry.

Peace, FAB

 

[puzzleannie]

This happened a couple years back, but it hasn’t occurred to me until now that there could be something wrong with this:

My dad and mom are divorced and my dad got married a second time without an annulment (outside of the church, obviously). But my parish priest came to the ceremony and either “blessed” it or said a prayer or something. Why was a priest allowed to bless or even attend a union that is intrinsically sinful?

not enought info. where did they get married, what was status of all parties.
we don’t know what the priest did or did not do to help your dad, nor should we know as it is his business, not ours. info from previous poster is correct, but since we don’t know all the facts, can’t really judge.