I am previously baptized at age 15 in a Baptist Church. I am just beginning RCIA, and have been married and divorced four times (to three different men). Will these marriages all have to be annulled before I can become a part of the Catholic community? And what if I decide to marry a Catholic? I feel much like the woman at the well...

-- Kathy Reed (bamakathy@aol.com), March 19, 2002

Answers

Tricky question. As far as I can determine your ability to be confirmed is not going to be a problem. I would highly suggest that you take this issue up with the Pastor of the Church you are thinking of joining. As long as you have never been married in a Catholic ceremony you should be able to recieve full communion as long as you do not live in sin with someone else.Like i said you need to clear this up with a good understanding priest. he will be quite understanding and help you to iron out any difficulties, if there are any. GOOD LUCK..THANKS BE TO GOD.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), March 19, 2002.

The Catholic Church recognizes as valid a marriage between two non- Catholics, unless is there is an obvious reason that the marriage would be invalid, such not being consummated, an agreement to never have children. There are other reasons a marriage might be considered invalid. Talk with your Pastor.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), March 19, 2002.

I forgot to say, your first marriage would be the one that would have to be annulled.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), March 19, 2002.

Hello, Kathy. Welcome to the Catholic family. I hope that the truth and the sacraments will bring you much peace.
Hi, Christina.

Until not long ago, I would have agreed with you in saying that the diocesan tribunal would consider only Kathy's first putative marriage and would perhaps issue a Decree of Nullity. If they were to do this, I thought, the other "marriages" could be ignored as having no meaning at all.

However, I have since read what Monsignor Kevin Quirk, a tribunal judge, has stated on this subject. He says that each putative marriage must be examined in turn (beginning with the first), until a valid marriage is found or until the tribunal can issue Decrees of Nullity for each of them, finally leaving the person free to genuinely marry for the first time.

The reasoning behind this may not be immediately apparent. Here is the explanation (with the assumption that none of Kathy's "spouses" was a Catholic):

It is possible that Kathy's first marriage was valid.
But if she was not truly married in God's eyes, then, after her first divorce, it is possible that her second wedding resulted in a valid marriage. [Not being Catholic, she was not under the obligation to seek a Decree of Nullity before the "remarriage." For a Catholic, however, such an attempt to be married again would be patently invalid.]
But if she again was not truly married in God's eyes, then, after her second divorce, it is possible that her third wedding resulted in a valid marriage.
And so on ...

Therefore, the tribunal must consider each of the "unions," beginning with the first, because of the potential that one of them could have been valid.

God bless you.
John

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.