Can a Catholic Woman Marry a Divorced Methodist Man in the Catholic Church?

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I am a Catholic woman who has recently become engaged to a divorced Methodist man. Is it possible to still be married in the Catholic Church? If so, what needs to be done for this to occur? He is most willing to do anything necessary to become my husband.

-- Claudia A. Delk (cadelk79@aol.com), December 27, 2004

Answers

His former marriage will have to be submitted to a marriage tribunal which will determine whether there is just cause to consider his former marriage invalid. If so, a statement to that effect, a writ of nullity, will be granted, and you will be free to marry him in the Catholic Church. If the tribunal determines that his former marriage met all requirements for a valid Christian marriage, then such a marriage cannot be dissolved by civil divorce, and he would therefore not be eligible for marriage in the Catholic Church.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), December 27, 2004.

I am a Catholic woman who has recently become engaged to a divorced Methodist man.

For now, he is still assumed to be married, in the eyes of God and the Church. The divorce is only a civil-law act of separation, and is thus irrelevant. Therefore, it is not possible to be "engaged" to him. He should not even have been dated, out of respect for his responsibility to be faithful to his (presumed) wife, estranged though they be. It is unfortunate that you did not know these things. Pray for the grace to be able to accept a possible judgment of "validity" from the tribunal, so that you will not be tempted then to enter into an invalid "union" (adultery).

-- (Yikes@Yikes.com), December 27, 2004.


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