Can a divorced Catholic person receive a blessing in the Catholic church?

Answer 1

No, to have a valid marriage one must be married in the Catholic Church. Without a valid marriage the co-habitation and intercourse between the civilally marriage couple is seen as sinful, and therefore he cannot receive the sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist or Annointing of the Sick (unless at the time of death). He will, however, be required to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. If the woman gets her first marriage annulled and then marries the Catholic man inside the Catholic Church, then it is a valid marriage and the Catholic man can receive the sacraments.

Answer 2

First off the non catholic needs to apply for a declaration of nullity (this is a declaration stating that his marriage was invalid from the very beginning due to some impediment, lack of consent, etc.) If his marriage was valid, then he may not marry again until the death of his spouse. Secondly, if a Catholic who has not defected from the Church by a formal act gets married outside of the Church, it is invalid due to lack of canonical form unless dispensation was given by the Local Ordinary (Bishop of the diocese). Please be aware that getting married outside of the Catholic Church is a grave sin. Please contact your pastor and discuss this with him. He can help you to initiate the annulment process. Please be aware though that a declaration of nullity is not always given. If his marriage is judged to be valid, then you may not marry him.

A LITTLE EDIT TO THIS POST FROM A CATHOLIC: I don't know if any of the above is true or not, but I do know that something was UNTRUE> The Catholic Church does not claim that getting married outside the church is a "grave sin." Catholics wouldn't even really use the word "grave" because there are more detailed ways of describing sins, such as "mortal" (essentially, a violation of the 10 commandments) and "venial" (an moral "oops"). Even if the Catholic Church recognizes non-Catholic marriages as a "sin" (and I'm unsure whether it actually does or not), at worst, it would be considered a venial sin, which has been forgiven through Christ. So... it's not a "grave sin" to get married anywhere (unless you are gay?).

Next edit from a Catholic who is trying to follow the Magesirium of the Church: First paragraph is correct; second is not. Please reference Catechism of the Catholic Chruch, Paragraph 2390:

In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.

The expression "free union" is fallacious: what can "union" mean when the partners make no commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in himself, or in the future?

The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion

There are also many other instances of the term "grave sin" in the Catechism.

Answer 3

This question is a bit unclear so it will be answered in the two ways it can be interpreted.

If your question is: If a catholic woman marries a non-catholic divorced man in a civil ceremony is it possible to later annul the divorced man's first marriage in order that his marriage to the catholic woman can be performed and blessed by the Church?

Answer to the first: Yes, the divorced man would have to take this course of action before he could marry again, especially in the Church. The Church does not submit Its rulings on marriage to the state nor does it recognize divorce, therefore, this man is not divorced; he is either still married or he is still single because his original marriage was invalid and therefore not effective. Since marriage between non-Catholics can be valid due to natural law, the Church must examine if the man's original marriage was, in fact, valid. If the Church grants an annulment, that means the man's original marriage is recognized as not valid and he is free to marry again, though if he remains a non-catholic please read the answer to the second below. If, however, his first marriage is declared valid, even despite his legal divorce, the Church considers him married and will not marry him again, and certainly not to a different woman than his original wife.

If your question is: If a catholic woman marries a non-catholic divorced man in a civil ceremony it it possible to later annul this marriage in order that they can be remarried in the Church?

Answer to the second:

This is complicated.

The Church does not recognize civil marriages involving two or one Catholic parties. Therefore, this marriage is invalid because the Catholic party is in violation of her Faith. No annulment is required since it is blatantly not a marriage in the eyes of the Church. The couple would have to approach a priest, tell him of these circumstances, she must be reconciled to the Church and then the priest can marry them validly, according to the rites of the Church. However, if the non-catholic man remains non-catholic, the couple will receive only the bare minimum rites of the Church, but not Its special marriage blessing, since such blessings are reserved for a marriage between Catholics. Depending on how conservative the priest is, he may even refuse to marry them in the Church and instead do so in the sacristy or vestibule.

On top of this, there is the problem of question one: the man's original marriage. The divorced man's original marriage must be proven invalid. Non-Catholics who marry can be validly married since marriage was part of God's natural law before He raised it to the dignity of a sacrament. So while it is not a sacramental marriage - the only kind of marriage a Catholic is permitted due to their Faith as a Catholic - the divorced man still could be validly married in the judgment of the Church due to natural law. Thus the man is not eligible to marry again, especially not a Catholic woman.

Answer 4

Two divorced people are, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, still married to their first spouses. There is no special blessing for married Catholics who want to pursue an intimate relationship with someone other than than their spouse.

Answer 5

The answer largely depends upon whether or not the previous marriage of the Catholic man is considered valid and thus undissolvable. It is entirely possible that the Catholic man in this situation may not have had the previous marriage be valid. Marriage must be done with full consent and not with any outside pressures. The previous marriage of the Cathlolic man may still indeed be intact. This is why the process of granting an 'annulment' exists. An annulment simply is a statement that a previous marriage never actually happened. In order to grant an annulment, the Church investigates the facts of the Catholic man's previous engagement: was it done with full will and consent, without outside pressures? If so, the marriage is still in tact and the Catholic man has a duty to his wife to live their sacrament of marriage despite how difficult or trying it may be (even if having to live separately). Such hardships may indeed be a particular kind of cross that the man and his wife have to bear. If not, the annulment releases the Cahtolic man to essentially be able to "re-marry" (or in reality, marry for the first time). Thus, the Catholic man is now able to marry the woman freely in an indissolvable fashion. I urge you to talk with your pastor about this particular situation. God bless you!

Answer 6

Since the non-Catholic woman's was not validly married in the eyes of the Church, she and the Catholic man may marry, but only if these 3 conditions are agreed upon first:

1) The Catholic spouse may practice their faith freely.

2) The children produced by that marriage are raised Catholic.

3) The Catholic spouse must try to convert the non-Catholic spouse.

Answer 7

""Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new civil unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ - 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery' [Mk 10:11-12] the Church maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence."

I found this here: http://www.cathud.com/divorced_catholics.asp

It pretty much states that a new marriage cannot be valid if they marry someone else, and that they cannot receive communion. Also, Reconciliation through Penance can only be granted to those who have repented. There's more information on the website I gave.

ANSWER:

1. IF -- and it's not clear from the question -- a divorced catholic has remarried (without receiving an annullment from her first marriage, then no, that 2nd marriage cannot be "blessed" in the Catholic church until the annulment of the 1st marriage has been secured.

2. Once the annulment of the 1st marriage is secured, then the Catholic can have her current marriage blessed by the Catholic church PROVIDING that her 2nd husband has not been divorced from his 1st marriage either.

3. IF the divorced Catholic has not remarried, and merely wishes to receive a blessing in the Catholic Church, then I see no problem. In fact, she should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, attend Mass and receive the Sacraments.

4. Merely being divorced does not preclude a Catholic from receiving the Sacraments and remaining a Catholic in good standing. It is the re-marriage (w/out dissolution of a 1st marriage) that is the problem. It is to live one's life, constantly, in a state of grave sin -- adultery.

Complicated.