I am a practicing Catholic who would like to marry in the Catholic Church. My fiance has been married before, in a civil ceremony. He is not Catholic, although converting. Since neither party of his previous marriage was catholic, it was a civil ceremony and civil divorce, can we marry in the Catholic church without an annulment. The process is too lengthy and expensive for us, since we are both young and in college.

-- Katharine Zemzicki (KatieGirl35@hotmail.com), July 29, 2003

Answers

Unfortunately not Katharine. You will have to have a ruling on whether your fiance's first marriage was valid or not. Please see your Pastor right away.

Also, explain to him that you do not have any money. You should not be required to pay.

-- Glenn (glenn@nospam.com), July 30, 2003.

Dear Katherine,

Keep in mind that annulment is not dissolution of a marriage. If that were the case, one might expect that the Church would grant annulments only for its own marriages, and not be "annulling" marriages performed by other authorities. However, that is not the nature of annulment. The Church has no authority to dissolve ANY valid marriage, whether performed within the Catholic Church or not. And that is why it is so important to establish whether any previous marriage, Catholic or otherwise, meets the criteria for validity. An annulment proceding is an investigation directed toward answering that one essential question - did this marriage, Catholic or otherwise, meet the criteria for a valid marriage, or was there some serious impediment that rendered the union invalid from the start? If the original marriage is determined to have been valid, then there is nothing further the Church can do, regardless of whether it was a Catholic ceremony or not. "What God has joined together, man must not separate". It is only when the investigation reveals a serious impediment that a writ of nullity can be granted. And that writ does not dissolve or change anything. It is simply a statement that the union, for the reasons specified, did not qualify as a valid marriage, right from the start.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 30, 2003.

I continually ask myself why I come here. It seems to me most of the responses are to berate a person and not to educate them. My question of annulment was to seek advice for educating myself. In the end there is only one judge and that is the Lord. SO for those who want to be the judge get out of his seat.

-- Jaime (cousinsolutions@arilion.com), July 30, 2003.

do you really want the truth or do you just want someone to tell you everything will be alright because the bible is truth.. so i would like to give you hope but also give you truth.. it has been said that some of the things i say is aginest the catholic church and that is not my intentions at all, so i will not answer your question but i will let the bible do it.. remember this is directly out of the bible word for word buy the Apostle Paul and is not my opion but Gods, so if any argue with what you are about to read their argument is not with me but with GOD. "Haven't you read, he replied, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together. lET MAN NOT separate." Matth.19:4-6 "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail." "Anyone who DIVORCES his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Luke16:18 "Anyone who DIVORCES his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Mark.10:11- 12 by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage." Rom.7:2 "A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, ...." 1 Cor.7:39 "To the married I give this command ( not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must NOT divorce his wife." 1 Cor.7:10- 11 "The Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his." "So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. I hate divorce, says the Lord." Mal.2:14

-- jason kennon (jasonkennon@yahoo.com), December 14, 2003.

Can't argue with that.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), December 14, 2003.

Dear Jason,

You are preaching to the choir. The Catholic Church compiled the scriptures you are quoting, taught them for 1,500 years before your tradition was founded, and still teaches them today. However, quoting them is easy. Anyone can do that. Fully understanding and teaching them, in all their subtleties and implications, is the work of the Holy Spirit speaking through His Church.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), December 14, 2003.