Is dating a divorced Catholic a sin?

Answer 1

God bless you for being so interested in morality before or during dating of a 'divorced' Catholic. It says a lot about you spiritually, and all very good. To answer your question, perhaps is the short answer. That may not be enough. You see, Catholics really can't be "divorced". A Catholic who is married enters a permanent bond with his spouse, as long as the marriage was administered sacramentally (by receiving the marriage sacrament administered by a clergy member). This is because Jesus says: "Wherefore they are not separate, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder." Matthew (19:6) Mankind simply doesn't have the power to dissolve a proper marriage, this is only done so by God at death. Marriage is simply that powerful of a bond. And, if you think about it, it has to be. Strong marriages are the cornerstone of our society's survival and prosperity. I say "perhaps" because the "divorced" Catholic may actually never have been married in the first place. If he or she is not married, then no it is not a sin. If he or she is, yes it is. This is what the process of an "annulment" is for in the Catholic Church. If determined true, a annulment declares that the Catholic never received the actual sacrament of marriage and thus was never married in the first place. There's many possible reasons why an annulment may be granted. To cite a few: The Catholic may have never received the sacrament, but perhaps only a civil ceremony. The Catholic may have had some outside pressure forcing him to marry. The Catholic may have had some internal reason that prevented him from giving full consent to marriage. There are more. The rest of my answer is advice. Please skip it if you don't want unsolicited advice. You'd be amazed how many questions on Catholics and marriage there are on this site. You are actually specially blessed to consider this question *before* getting serious in a relationship with a "divorced" Catholic. My advice to you is this: Ask him / her to put their affairs with the Church in order so that they know if they are still married or not. For this person to actually start "dating", they must be considered free to marry for the first time. To not do so is a very very serious sin that this "divorced" Catholic is committing. On your end of things, I wouldn't get involved with someone who doesn't have this cleared up. You too could be entangling yourself in serious sin too if you don't stop and get this put straight. I hope that my answers don't seem too harsh to you. I am concerned about your moral well being even though I don't know you. Above all, if you have further questions, talk to a Catholic priest about this person's eligibility to date. I'm sure they'd give you good advice, probably better than my own. Good luck to you and God bless you! You are very much loved to be so concerned about this early in a relationship.