I was wondering about the validity of marriages outside the caholic church among people of other faiths. I know someone of Indian descent of a Hindu background who has been married 3 years. I am afraid it was a marriages more due to circumstances than love and a free desire to get married. She's now rather miserable in her situation. Both husband and wife are professionals but she has complained about a lot emotional distress and lonliness. She and her husband have been incompatible perhaps all along. Her attempts to improve her situation have failed. Recently she met someone who gave her what she feels is the love, care and compatibility she had been seeking for so long and in fact believed in but had given up on after she got married because of how her relationship with her husband turned out to be. This man whom she met is catholic. Apparently these two are very happy together. In fact they only met and are now able to be together because she's moved a few thousand miles away from her husband because of work. Just wondering... is her marriage recognized as valid in the church? What about this new happy couple? Should they just say goodbye when it's obvious how good they are together and how much pain in their lives has been taken away because of this friendship? He needs some answers....

-- Edwin Lawrence (holl@rocketmail.com), March 29, 2003

Answers

Wiiliam - Why ever should this woman remain in a spritually dead relationship? John I believe is pointing there maybe an alternative to misery. Christ wants us to be happy in His love does He not?

-- j (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), March 30, 2003.

Because a valid marriage is a valid marriage.

-- William Jeanbourquin (W.jeanb@hotmail.com), March 30, 2003.

Jmj
Hello, Edwin.

The Catholic Church recognizes the marriage of two Hindus as presumably valid -- until the opposite can be proved.
If you are speaking of a "marriage of convenience," in which a key element of a genuine marriage (free and full consent) was missing on the wedding day, then it is likely that a Catholic marriage tribunal would declare that there never existed a valid marriage in the first place.

The Catholic man, while maintaining nothing more than a friendship (out of respect for the possibly valid marriage that exists), can help your Hindu friend to have the Church determine whether or not her marriage is valid in God's eyes. However, the Church will not undertake to make this determination until she is divorced. The Catholic man is not permitted to get into a "dating" relationships (much less an engagement) with the Hindu woman until a Declaration of Nullity is granted.

God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), April 02, 2003.

"What about this new happy couple?" ????

I guess that the marriage requires your judgement or approval?

I would suggest that you & your 'friend' get out of thier marriage.

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), April 13, 2003.