The pastor is the official witness of a sacramental marriage, with his permission, an assistant priest, or a deacon may witness it instead.
While the church does not recognize a marriage of Catholics outside of the church to be a valid sacramental marriage, it does recognize civil marriages outside of the church to be valid. No priest should ever tell you that your baby is illegitimate.
All marriages between non-Catholics are recognized as valid by the Catholic Church. In case of non-Catholic baptized persons, all marriages (also civil marriages!) are recognized as sacramental marriages. In case of non-baptized people, they are recognized as valid, but not sacramental marriages. For baptized Catholics, there is a requirement of form in order to have a valid sacramental marriage. If you have married without observing these requirements or without getting a dispensation from the Church authorities, then your marriage is considered invalid. It can be recognized retroactively by the Church though, in a short ceremony which is called "sanatio in radice" (healing at the root). Ask your local Catholic pastor about it!
In the State, yes. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, however, sacramental marriage is an indissoluble bond. A divorce legally separates the couple, but in the eyes of the Church they are still married, and as such a new marriage would result in the couple living in adultery.
Marriage was officially recognized as a sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church during the Lateran Council of 1215. This council emphasized the importance of marriage within the context of Christian life and established it as a means of grace. The sacramental view of marriage was further solidified by subsequent church teachings and councils, particularly in the 16th century during the Council of Trent.
Roman Catholic AnswerThere is no such thing as a "divorce" in the Catholic Church and there never has been. Sometimes the Church will allow for a civil divorce if there are very pressing and over-riding reasons, but this would never allow for a remarriage as the persons would still be considered marriage in the eyes of God and the Church. The other thing that you may be thinking of, since you mention Kind Henry VIII is an annulment. An annulment is a decree that no valid sacramental marriage ever took place, that something was missing that was required for a valid marriage. In this case, the Church would demand a civil divorce as they have ruled that there is no sacramental marriage.
You have to contact the Church where you were baptized in. They should have records, even if it was a long time ago, of anyone who was baptized in their church.
Actually, the Catholic Church recognizes ALL marriages between baptized persons as valid sacramental ("religious") marriages. So if the couple was married by a minister in another sect of Christianity, like the Lutheran one, that marriage is recognized. Even if the marriage between two baptized non-Catholics was secular, in a civil ceremony, such as a clerk of the court or a justice of the peace, it is also recognized as a sacramental marriage, because the marriage is theologically contracted through the will of the spouses, and non-Catholics are not bound by formal requirements as Catholics are. If the marriage is between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic, it can be recognized as a religious marriage if a few steps are taken. The Catholic person in the marriage may get a dispensation that allows them to marry a non-Catholic. You can also get one that allows the wedding to be preformed outside of a Catholic church. If you do both, then the marriage is in fact recognized as a religious one by the Catholic Church.
Yes if there is an annulment. No if there is a divorce.
No. Although some local councils have voted to support it and some individual clergy members have performed same-sex weddings, the official position of the United Methodist Church is that same-sex marriage is not permissible.
You can, provided that the Catholic woman's priest permits the marriage to happen. Since you are Presbyterian, you will be required to agree that any future children are to be brought up with Catholic instruction and that you will not interfere with your spouse's faith. The Church is not enthusiastic about mixed marriages, as is probably evident. Further, since you do not share the Catholic Faith, your marriage in the Church will not be given the sacramental blessing that is only given in a marriage between two Catholics.
Probably. The Catholic Church wants your family to be joined in a sacramental marriage and allows marriage between Catholics and non-Catholics. Because the Church recognizes the tremendous challenge that the interfaith couple will face, you may have to get permission from the bishop. Call your local parish and talk to the marriage coordinator or a priest.
Roman Catholic AnswerThe Catholic Church recognizes any legal marriage including the marriage between two baptized non Catholics before their own minister. It does recognize a marriage between two baptized non Catholics as a sacrament, as the individuals themselves perform the sacrament of marriage if they are both validly baptized, and non-Catholics are not bound by Canon Law (Church Law); so it would recognize Episcopalian marriages. The Church always assumes a valid legal marriage, even if it is not between baptized persons, but in that case it would not be a sacrament, although it would still be a legal marriage. A marriage is contracted between the spouses in Catholic sacramental theology. The minister is only a witness.