Wierd Marriage Question...

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pprimeau1976

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OK, here is a wierd marriage question. I know a woman who was divorced and was remarried. She was married (both times) within the Church by a priest and had a wedding mass. Here is where the wierdness sets in:
  1. From what she remembers, she never had her first marriage anulled. However, for some reason, the priest went ahead with the marriage.
  2. She thought that the man she married the second time was her third cousin, but later discovered that he is considered by the Church a second cousin. In the church, second cousins (people who share a common great-grandparent) are not permitted to marry.
She is still married to her second husband after 30+ years and is worried that her marriage is not valid. Why would a priest choose to marry her if he knew any of these facts? Would the second marriage be sacramental if it was performed by the priest?
 
Clearly, if what you said is correct, there is some doubt to the validity of her “marriage.” Simply because a priest goes though the motions of marriages does not mean a couple is actually married. I’d suggest they may want to talk to their parish priest for guidance specific to their situation.
 
the only people who should be concerned are the two parties to the marriage, and the only person who can help them is their own parish priest.
 
“In the church, second cousins (people who share a common great-grandparent) are not permitted to marry.”

By all means, I agree that this matter of a marriage some 30 years ago pertains to the couple and their parish priest.

However, second cousins intending marriage these days should rest easy.

Since November 27, 1983 (after that couple wed), the law of the Church would permit second cousins to marry and without any dispensation.

Canon 1091 §2 states that in the collateral line of consanguinity, marriage is invalid up to and including the fourth degree. The second degree of consanguinity is not dispensed from. The others may be. (In certain jurisdictions civil laws prohibit first cousin marriages, but that is a whole other issue.)

Canon 108 §3 states that in the collateral line, there are as many degrees as there are persons in both lines together, not counting the common ancestor.

So today, we would count the parties and their ancestors, not counting the common ancestor.

We would have two parties (who are second cousins to each other), their parents (who are first cousins to each other), and their grandparents (who are two siblings to each other) under the common ancestor whom we do not count (the great -grandparent).

Six persons are to be counted, and therefore the two parties who are second cousins would be related in the 6th degree of consanguinity in the collateral line.
 
pprimeau1976 said:
She is still married to her second husband after 30+ years and is worried that her marriage is not valid. Why would a priest choose to marry her if he knew any of these facts? Would the second marriage be sacramental if it was performed by the priest?
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My understanding is that a marriage is presumed valid unless it’s taken to a tribunal and they determine that it is not. So unless this couple has a reason to go to the tribunal, I assume their marriage is valid.
 
pprimeau1976 said:
OK, here is a **wierd **marriage question. I know a woman who was divorced and was remarried. She was married (both times) within the Church by a priest and had a wedding mass. Here is where the **wierdness **sets in
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Sorry, but this is a pet peeve:

‘I’ before ‘e’ except:
  • after ‘c’
  • when it sounds like ‘ay’ as in “neighbor” and “weigh”
  • and a few WEIRD exceptions
b_justb said:
Soooooooooo is this happening in West Virginia?
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I don’t know why people always pick on West Virginia for this kind of thing. West Virginia is tied with Wisconsin for the most restrictive marriage rules. The other 48 states allow marriages between first cousins once removed, but in WV and WI you have to be at least second cousins to get married.

The southern states as a whole are more restrictive than the North East and West Coast.
 
pprimeau1976 said:
OK, here is a wierd marriage question. I know a woman who was divorced and was remarried. She was married (both times) within the Church by a priest and had a wedding mass. Here is where the wierdness sets in:
  1. From what she remembers, she never had her first marriage anulled. However, for some reason, the priest went ahead with the marriage.
  2. She thought that the man she married the second time was her third cousin, but later discovered that he is considered by the Church a second cousin. In the church, second cousins (people who share a common great-grandparent) are not permitted to marry.
She is still married to her second husband after 30+ years and is worried that her marriage is not valid. Why would a priest choose to marry her if he knew any of these facts? Would the second marriage be sacramental if it was performed by the priest?
Click to expand...
There are a lot of factors so speaking with a priest is your best approach to a correct line.

Did the first husband die yet?

I thought an annulment only comes if one of the party is not Catholic.

Is the divorce valid?

If she is already married so long why would it not be valid now?

Is the first priest still alive? and the second?

Were there children, in the first or second?

How long was she married the first time?
D.
 
Timidity said:
Sorry, but this is a pet peeve:

‘I’ before ‘e’ except:
  • after ‘c’
  • when it sounds like ‘ay’ as in “neighbor” and “weigh”
  • and a few WEIRD exceptions
Click to expand...
I always liked it this way:

I before e, except after c, unless it’s weird or foreign.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight
 
Timidity said:
I don’t know why people always pick on West Virginia for this kind of thing. West Virginia is tied with Wisconsin for the most restrictive marriage rules. The other 48 states allow marriages between first cousins once removed, but in WV and WI you have to be at least second cousins to get married.

The southern states as a whole are more restrictive than the North East and West Coast.
Click to expand...
I always thought this kind of thing happened in Arkansas? :eek: 😃

Yes, I do have relatives there. We have joked about that with them. 😉
 
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Timidity:
I don’t know why people always pick on West Virginia for this kind of thing. West Virginia is tied with Wisconsin for the most restrictive marriage rules. The other 48 states allow marriages between first cousins once removed, but in WV and WI you have to be at least second cousins to get married.
Click to expand...
Because my next door state neighbor is WV so they get picked on. If my next door state neighbor was someone else, I’d pick on them. It’s just a joke. If you’re a resident of WV then all I can say is, “Why haven’t you moved to Ohio like everyone else?” 😛
 
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