Hi there! What a wonderful site this is with so many questions and answers. However I am now wondering if you could be so kind as to answer mine for me. My boyfriend got married 10 years ago in a methodist church ( he is of no religion. his wife was i think), however she had an affiar and left him two years ago, Since we have met he has obviously gone through the divorce procedure which will be finalised in a months time. They have two children together, so i belive i am right in saying therefore their marraige cannot be annulled? I really so despretly want to get married in my family church in ireland, however am i right in thinking that this can never happen because he has been married in the past? Is there any way around this?

Please advice me and thank you so much for reading this! Sharon

-- Sharon (crionnacht@dublin.com), March 08, 2003

Answers

Dear Sharon,

You should speak to your priest about initiating the annulment process. The marriage tribunal will consider all the available information about his first marriage, in an effort to establish whether or not that marriage was a valid sacramental marriage. If they determine that it was, then there is nothing further they can do. If they determine that a serious impediment to valid marriage existed at the time of the wedding, then they will issue a decree of nullity. However, you should know that the fact of their having children does not influence such a decision. Neither does the fact of infidelity eight years after the wedding. What they look at is the initial marriage itself, and whether or not it meets the necessary criteria for validity.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), March 08, 2003.

Dear Sharon, Because of corruption in the Church the only tribunal I would have faith in is the Roman Rota which you will not have acces to in the short run. Most tribunals are not disciplined in the factual truth and follow a pastoral bent which is contrary to the real church teaching. Sorry, but this is generally true and we really have no way of knowing which tribunals are orthodox or which are heterodox. In fact that my even vary within a particular tribunal. What I can tell you is there is no substitute for truth. Anything less told even to a good canonist is grave sin and the cause of ripples of injustice that infect the whole communion of saints.

-- karl (parkerkajwen@hotmail.com), March 09, 2003.

Love is always the answer. follow your heart and the way will be shown to you. Speak to your priest as others have said.

-- Sarah (sarahworks@earthlink.net), March 09, 2003.

The Roman Rota is not part of this Church which you judge as being so corrupt?? Or are you also making judgements as to just which parts of the Church are corrupt?

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), March 09, 2003.

Paul is correct. Contact your local tribunal and see if your boyfriend's marriage was in fact valid. If full free consent was given during the exchange of vows is your question. After review of his case, the tribunal will have an answer. Validity has nothing to do with children or length of marriage.

-- patrick farley (pfarley@saintmeinrad.edu), March 09, 2003.

Jmj
Hello, Karl.

You make a very serious charge here:
"Most tribunals are not disciplined in the factual truth and follow a pastoral bent which is contrary to the real church teaching. Sorry, but this is generally true ..."

I'm sorry, but I have to disbelieve you completely, unless you can explain, in detail, who you are [i.e., your position within the Church] and how you could possibly have the ability to judge all the diocesan tribunals of the world. Only by having thoroughly investigated and evaluated every single one of them would you be able to use the words, "Most tribunals are ...".

Unless you can prove otherwise, Karl, I have to assume that you know of one (or a few) improper actions of one (or a few) tribunals -- and you have proceeded unjustly to generalize about the thousands of tribunals around the globe.
In fact, you seem to admit this by contradicting yourself in these words: "we really have no way of knowing which tribunals are orthodox or which are heterodox."
If that is true, then it was false for you to state earlier that "Most tribunals are not disciplined in the factual truth and follow a pastoral bent which is contrary to the real church teaching."

Pray for deeper faith and trust in Jesus and his Mystical Body, Karl.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 11, 2003.

Ok guys , thank you for your replies, I dont know how this thread got so out of hand, some of you need some serious help, i mean i only asked a question and did not ask to be bible bashed! Thank you to those who were genuine enough in their answers! And Paul I didnt appreciate your email you sent me! Sharon

-- Sharon (crionnacht@dublin.com), March 17, 2003.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Sharon (of Dublin).
JFG

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 17, 2003.

Paul is completely correct!

The Tribunals as are a number of churches and a majority of catholic outsourced 'services' e.g. Catholic Social Services are 'tainted' by social/psychological moral relativists!

Point: There is no relative truth -there is truth and there is non truth, there is the word/God and there is everything else. You are with God or you are not -simple...

-- Daniel (love@truth.org), March 26, 2003.