My boyfriend and have lived together for over 2 years. I am a divorced lutheran. I have one child and don't want to have my 1st marriage annauled nor do I want to convert to Catholic. Can we be married in the "Catholic eyes", dose it have to be in the Catholic Church for it to be considered a marriage? Right now we go to both the Lutheran mass then the next week we go to the Catholic mass. And neither of us want to change our faith.

-- Shari Sisco (ssisco@banta.com), March 09, 2005

Answers

Response to can a divorced lutheran merry a catholic

No.

-- Mark (Anon@hotmail.com), March 09, 2005.

Response to can a divorced lutheran merry a catholic

You cannot be married in God's eyes unless you are actually free to marry. That would mean that you are not already married to someone else. That would depend on whether your first marriage was valid. The annulment process is the only way of determining that fact.

If he is Catholic he must be married in the Catholic Church in order for his marriage to be valid, unless he receives a special dispensation from canonical form, which is rarely granted, and only for the gravest reasons. You would not have to convert to Catholicism to marry him in the Catholic Church. If he is Catholic, he is also required to attend Mass every sunday. He could attend your service in addition to the Mass, but not instead of it. And, in order to marry you he would have to promise to do all in his power to raise his/your children in the Catholic faith.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), March 09, 2005.