My baptized Catholic husband was previously married in what I assume was a civil ceremony (outside/garden ceremony). That marriage lasted 5 months and ended in divorce. We were married in the Catholic church (I being baptized Catholic, as well). Is this marriage considered valid by the Church?

-- Erma Peterson (lookingforward@earthlink.net), March 12, 2005

Answers

Hi Erma..I'm confused..How did you and your husband get married in the Catholic Church if your husband was previously married before? Didn't he obtain an anullment of that previous marriage before he married you in the Church???

-- Lesley (martchas@hotmail.com), March 12, 2005.

Erma, if your answer to Lesley's question is, "Yes, the Church gave him a declaration of nullity," then your marriage is presumed to be valid.

But if your answer is, "No, he has no declaration of nullity, because he hid his first marriage and divorce from the Church," then his first marriage is presumed to be valid until proved otherwise.

For your sake, I pray that your answer to Lesley is, "Yes." If your answer is, "No," it won't mean the end of the world, but the situation will be awkward, and he will have some serious repentance and work to attend to.

-- (adama@and.eva), March 12, 2005.

Your husbands first marriage in my opinion was invalid due to Lack of Canonical Form, unless he defected from the Catholic Faith by a formal act or sought to have that marriage validated. 5 months? I doubt he sought validation in that time.

The Marriage Tribunal would have to give a ruling on his first marriage regardless. Until then he would not have been deemed free to marry.

-- Fr. Paul (pjdoucet@hotmail.com), March 12, 2005.