I have a problem, I'm getting married in the catholic church and I am not catholic....my wife to be is. I was previously married, and in the interview with the priest we told him that I was never married, we figured how would he know, it wasn't a religious ceremony. Now I'm having second thoughts about lying to the Priest, but I'm also afraid to admit my wrong doing. What if he says no that we can't be married in the Catholic Church or no I can't have a anullment. I guess I'm just curious if I should tell the Priest I lied and try to fix it, or keep it a secret. I know what I should do, I'm just looking for fresh views on how to go about it.

-- Mike Beeler (scoobydude111@yahoo.com), September 03, 2002

Answers

Response to Anullment Problem

Sorry everyone, I didn't know that Anullments had such a huge response in this forum. I didn't intend to add to the banter. I do have one other question that goes with this though, after talking to many catholics I've discovered that a majority of them feel like the Anullment itself is outdated and the catholic church should let it go, kinda like Pergatory.... I don't understand why these things take so long either. If you have a party that wants to get out of the marriage so bad, there is really nothing that the other party can do to make it work, and usually marriages end badly, or they wouldn't end, so what makes the Church think that they are going to get a honest answer from either party. I get kinda wordy and ramble around, sorry. What I'm trying to say is that my ex-wife and I have had no contact, because she went her way, and I went mine, I know for a fact she would never sign her name saying anything about our marriage, especially if its something that would help me in anyway.

-- Mike Beeler (scoobydude111@yahoo.com), September 03, 2002.

Response to Anullment Problem

Hey mike... yeah, theres tons of info on this topic here. It is by far the most-asked question.

But about Purgatory, the Church hasn't dropped that teaching... in fact the Church has never dropped any teaching, let alone using the reasoning of being 'obsolete'. Teachings can no more become obsolete than that "2 and 2 equals 4" will become "equals 5". How could anyone take seriously a church that changed the rules? Such a church would have only on rule in the long one... the one that rules it out.

Good luck in your quest to find answers; on this topic, people other than myself will kick in with better responses than I could provide.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), September 03, 2002.

Response to Anullment Problem

Sorry dude, you're getting started out on the wrong foot, lying to the priest about being married before. Does you wife really care about getting married in the Church or is this just a formality?

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), September 03, 2002.

Response to Anullment Problem

Mike,

I truly hope that you take the time to read the responses to all the previous annulment questions. They will certainly help you understand why the process takes long, and why the Church has not swayed in her teachings (what God has joined together - let no man tear apart).

In response to when someone lies to the Priest. Well, it may work (or not), but why lie your way into a HOLY Sacrament and nullify it from the outset? It most certainly wont damn the priest, and it wont damn the Church either - because the Church wouldn't know. But the one lying, on the other hand, would be in serious trouble. Whether you are Catholic or not lying is forbidden and if you enter a Holy Union where two are suppose to become one while knowingly lying in order to do so wouldn't exactly get your marriage started on the right foot.

I pray that you make the right decision and confess your lie.

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), September 03, 2002.