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Catholic Marriage to a Protestant?; Is it legitimate in the Catholic Church?
Topic Started: Wednesday, 2. May 2012, 21:48 (996 Views)
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Well Rose as you know I too have been married a fair while ,41 years. It has always seemed to me that the Church takes a ridiculously sentimental and lofty view of the institution. I cannot understand this when priests see the reality every day. My apologies if your feelings were hurt. What is undeniable is that the vast majority of Catholics in the UK take a relaxed view of co-habiting and the whole modern approach to this subject. I don't think we need look far for the reason. It is a rare Catholic family this day that doesn't have co-habiting members, very often with children and grandchildren arising from these unions. And the honest Catholic parent/grandparent looking at these arrangements has to say that they produce the same tensions,commitment breakdown of relationship, love, devotion, fidelity/infidelity etc etc as does the traditional marriage arrangement. I can see no difference, in all honesty

Deacon Robert, I don't understand your point

John
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Rose of York
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John Sweeney
Thursday, 3. May 2012, 21:09
It is a rare Catholic family this day that doesn't have co-habiting members, very often with children and grandchildren arising from these unions.
That is so.

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And the honest Catholic parent/grandparent looking at these arrangements has to say that they produce the same tensions,commitment breakdown of relationship, love, devotion, fidelity/infidelity etc etc as does the traditional marriage arrangement. I can see no difference, in all honesty

Some parents and grandparents put up with it, that does not mean we all agree with it. Apart from the sacramental aspect a couple marrying on religious premises or in a civil ceremony make a serious commitment in public. Some marry with the best intentions, and still break up, that is sad for them and their families, but at least they tried, did not give the impression it is OK to live together and have children without demonstrating lifelong commitment.
Keep the Faith!

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Emee
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Patrick

I think the last para says it all: "But the marriage legislation effectively says that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it is a duck. If both parties believe they are married, then they are protected."

Gerry

The conundrum is this: were pentinent and his wife both Anglicans the Catholic Church would have recognised his first marriage as fully valid, but because he is a Catholic the Catholic Church basically says he should have married in a Catholic Church to be fully married in the eyes of God, therefore the Church only recognises the legal aspect of the first marriage, not the Sacramental aspect. (For that Priest to use the word "adulterous" is far too strong a word in this situation, in my opinion, since there is a legally valid marriage in place.)

As I mentioned, I've been there myself and researched all this, so I know a bit about the topic. It is a conundrum. It doesn't seem fair, but that's what Canon Law says I'm afraid and any Catholic like myself or pentinent who subsequently realises where they stand in the eyes of the Church, following a non-Catholic wedding, needs to go through a convalidation process to fully seal their marriage, as I mentioned, for their marriage to be fully recognised by the Catholic Church.

Like I said, it was no great trauma for me and basically involved some form filling. But personally I did it for peace of mind.
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Angus Toanimo
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I think the difficulty also lies where a Catholic marries a Protestant in his/her Church, knowing that a dispensation is required but marries without it. Does the Church view that marriage as legally valid?
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Rose of York
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Angus do you mean legally valid in the eyes of the State, or the Church?
Keep the Faith!

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Angus Toanimo
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Rose of York
Friday, 4. May 2012, 00:18
Angus do you mean legally valid in the eyes of the State, or the Church?
In the eyes of the Church.
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Deacon Robert
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I think the difficulty also lies where a Catholic marries a Protestant in his/her Church, knowing that a dispensation is required but marries without it. Does the Church view that marriage as legally valid?

Yes it is. With out proper form
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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Gerard

Can I get this straight. If a catholic, without getting permission/dispensation, marries a methodist in a methodist chapel the catholic church recognises that they are actually married on some spiritual level (no matter how imperfectly)?

This question seeks a yes/no answer.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Deacon Robert
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Gerard,


Yes
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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Angus Toanimo
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Deacon Robert
Friday, 4. May 2012, 00:46
I think the difficulty also lies where a Catholic marries a Protestant in his/her Church, knowing that a dispensation is required but marries without it. Does the Church view that marriage as legally valid?

Yes it is. With out proper form
Invalid due to defect of form.
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Angus Toanimo
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Gerard
Friday, 4. May 2012, 11:09
Can I get this straight. If a catholic, without getting permission/dispensation, marries a methodist in a methodist chapel the catholic church recognises that they are actually married on some spiritual level (no matter how imperfectly)?

This question seeks a yes/no answer.

Gerry
The Church recognises it as an invalid marriage due to lack of proper canonical form. I think, therefore the Church would consider the couple to be living in sin.
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Deacon Robert
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AT,

Tell me what is required by the church, if the marriage of the Catholic and Methodist ends in divorce and the Catholic wishes to marry again?
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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valleyboy

Interesting stuff. So presumably someone like myself who returned to the catholic faith long after they were married in a CofE church, and whose spouse has no intention of being married again or coverting, is living in a continued state of mortal sin? Do I confess this once or every time I go to the sacrament of reconciliation? Should I insist she marry in a catholic service and risk divorce proceedings for mental cruelty?
Liberal, ecumenical, universal and it's my church too.
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Mairtin
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Deacon Robert
Friday, 4. May 2012, 14:05
Tell me what is required by the church, if the marriage of the Catholic and Methodist ends in divorce and the Catholic wishes to marry again?
Funny, I was going to ask about that. I distinctly remember being taught that if two non-Catholics get married either in Protestant church or a registry office and subsequently get divorced, then neither of them can subsequently get married in the Catholic Church whilst their former partner is alive. If, however, a Catholic gets married in a Protestant church or a registry office and subsequently get divorced, they can go ahead and married to somebody else as they weren't legitimately married inside the Church in the first place.

Is/was that correct?
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Gerard

Deacon Robert
Friday, 4. May 2012, 12:32
Gerard,


Yes
Many, many thanks.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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