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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Remarriage without an anullment	Ioanna	Sunday, April 5, 2015
Question: Dear Bro. Ignatious, My husband and I are both originally baptized Catholic. My husband was previously married in the Catholic Church and then divorced his Catholic wife because she committed adultery ( which I read in the bible is the only reason God allowed for divorce). We met years after his divorce and since the Catholic Church would not marry us without an annulment, we got married in the Lutheran Church. We left the Catholic Church. Eventually, we joined the Orthodox Church. We were re-baptized and remarried in the Orthodox Church without my husband getting and annulment from the Catholic Church ( the Orthodox Church did not require an annulment). Through a series of events, God lead us back to the Catholic Church. We feel that this is where we belong. I have been receiving communion which has had a positive impact on my life. I was told that Orthodox marriages are accepted in the Catholic Church and that they can receive communion. What is the Catholic Church's view of what my husband and I did? Are we in right standing with the Catholic Church or does he still need an annulment? Thanks, Ioanna
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Ioanna: Sorry for the delay in responding. Welcome back to the Church. I am afraid that you and your husband are not married in the eyes of God and His Church. Your husband will need to apply for an annulment. If that is approved, then your marriage may be blessed in the Church. Until that time, you need to immediately stop receiving communion. There is no such thing as a "re-baptism". One can only be validly baptized only once. Even through the Orthodox Church did this and "re-married" you (another example about how the Orthodox Church has strayed from God), the fact is that you cannot be validly married in the eyes of God until your husband's annulment is approved. Also, adultery is not a valid reason for divorce and remarriage. Jesus was talking about an "invalid" marriage, probably incest. The passage is Matthew 5:31-32 ~ “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. The footnote to this passage, to the "ground of unchastity" is this: unchastity: The Greek word used here appears to refer to marriages that were not legally marriages because they were either within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Lev 18.6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The phrase except on the ground of unchastity does not occur in the parallel passage in Lk 16.18. See also Mt 19.9 (Mk 10.11-12), and especially 1 Cor 7.10-11 which shows that the prohibition [to divorce] is unconditional. In today's language Jesus is talking about an annulment of an invalid marriage. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Remarriage without an anullment

Ioanna

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Question:

Dear Bro. Ignatious,
My husband and I are both originally baptized Catholic. My husband was previously married in the Catholic Church and then divorced his Catholic wife because she committed adultery ( which I read in the bible is the only reason God allowed for divorce). We met years after his divorce and since the Catholic Church would not marry us without an annulment, we got married in the Lutheran Church. We left the Catholic Church. Eventually, we joined the Orthodox Church. We were re-baptized and remarried in the Orthodox Church without my husband getting and annulment from the Catholic Church ( the Orthodox Church did not require an annulment). Through a series of events, God lead us back to the Catholic Church. We feel that this is where we belong. I have been receiving communion which has had a positive impact on my life. I was told that Orthodox marriages are accepted in the Catholic Church and that they can receive communion. What is the Catholic Church's view of what my husband and I did? Are we in right standing with the Catholic Church or does he still need an annulment?
Thanks,
Ioanna

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Ioanna:

Sorry for the delay in responding.

Welcome back to the Church.

I am afraid that you and your husband are not married in the eyes of God and His Church. Your husband will need to apply for an annulment. If that is approved, then your marriage may be blessed in the Church. Until that time, you need to immediately stop receiving communion.

There is no such thing as a "re-baptism". One can only be validly baptized only once. Even through the Orthodox Church did this and "re-married" you (another example about how the Orthodox Church has strayed from God), the fact is that you cannot be validly married in the eyes of God until your husband's annulment is approved.

Also, adultery is not a valid reason for divorce and remarriage. Jesus was talking about an "invalid" marriage, probably incest. The passage is Matthew 5:31-32 ~

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The footnote to this passage, to the "ground of unchastity" is this:

unchastity: The Greek word used here appears to refer to marriages that were not legally marriages because they were either within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Lev 18.6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The phrase except on the ground of unchastity does not occur in the parallel passage in Lk 16.18. See also Mt 19.9 (Mk 10.11-12), and especially 1 Cor 7.10-11 which shows that the prohibition [to divorce] is unconditional.

In today's language Jesus is talking about an annulment of an invalid marriage.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum