I was married by a Justice of the Peace to my first husband. We got divorced later on but the Catholic church said that they didn't recognize my marriage. They said it was like we were never married. So when I went to get married to my 2nd husband the church said I had to get an annulment from my 1st husband. Why if they said they don't recognize my first marriage would I have to get an annulment? According to them I wasn't married in the eyes of the church so why is an annulment necessary besides giving the church more money?
2006-07-22 16:42:44 · 17 answers · asked by Mawyemsekhmet 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I should have said this was 6 years ago that we were looking into getting married by the Catholic church. Neither of my husbands were Catholic and now I am not either. I have remarried since the first marriage and didn't get the annulment. I thought it was a crock of sh** to pay them for something I didn't need.
2006-07-22 17:04:16 · update #1
The divorce was because he was commiting adultery. He did that while I was pregnant to top it off.
2006-07-22 17:07:23 · update #2
--is Catholic--
If you were a Catholic (or your 1st husband was) at the time of your civil marriage, and the marriage was never validated, the marriage is not reorganized by Canon Law. According to Canon Law, an annulment is not necessary because annulments can only be granted in cases where a sacramental marriage was assumed to have taken place. A civil marriage is not a sacramental marriage and thus it is impossible for an annulment to be granted. As such, there is no point in seeking one.
The problem is that lots of people do not understand the annulment process or even Canon Law on this matter. It appears that the parish where you were going to marry your husband was confused on this matter.
I am sorry you are no longer Catholic. I hope that someday you will return to the Catholic Church.
2006-07-22 17:31:58 · answer #1 · answered by Liet Kynes 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like you are bitter about the Church and are using this example to "slam" the Church for reasons only known to you. For that reason, I considered NOT answering, but I do have some personal experience with this situation, and some of the answers that I have read so far are so wrong it isn't funny.
The Church has always recognized your marriage - it simply said that as a sacrament, your marriage was not valid.
The process for a statement of invalidity comes with a cost to the Church, roughly $1,500 per case. Of that, you were charged, what? $100? I don't know. . . when I went through it, I didn't have to pay anything (and I had it done twice).
It is a complex process, one that protects you from future issues with the Church.
As for the children (if any), the Church NEVER says that your children are illegitimate or bastards. They recognize that the children were part of a marriage that was intended to last, but didn't for one of a number of reasons. Anyone who thinks differently is just plain wrong and idiotic.
If I am wrong, and you are not using this to deface the Catholic Church, I am sorry, but your question sure reads that way.
2006-07-23 00:20:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry! The Catholic church requires an annulment in order to marry again within the faith. It's definately a pain but you need to do it to remain in good standing with the church and to be able to continue with the sacraments. You cannot take communion if you are divorced but you can if your marriage is annuled.
2006-07-22 23:51:18 · answer #3 · answered by tbo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic church seems to think it can enforce rules and restrictions on people that circumvent what God's laws and principles are regarding marriage and divorce. Scripturally, a married couple is to live forever in that union, never to divorce. However, the Bible does make an allowance for a divorcing: that of a mate committing fornication (any sexual activity outside of the bonds of marriage, which includes adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, and so forth). While the Bible says that God has "hated a divorcing", it does make that provision available for the innocent mate in the marriage.
The Catholic church, however, says that a divorce is sinful and goes against God. God, according to the Bible, does hate a divorcing, but does not hold such a choice against an innocent mate who has been cheated on if they choose that option.
2006-07-23 00:03:23 · answer #4 · answered by X 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not Catholic, but it seems that the annulment protects the parishoners from the isloations of being unable to have religiously endorsed marriages. When parishoners get married according to God's will, and then get divorced for a reason that is unbiblical then the consequence would be pretty extreme, like being unable to take communion.
So the annulment says that your break-up and new marriage are covered by the religious structure provided by your leaders and permits you the chance to continue in a full accepting place with the church.
The new testament and words of Jesus, limit the ability to divorce to only if your spouse committed adultry. Paul's instructions to church leaders was to try to keep one another living according to God's plan, and when a member persists in refusing God's will then in order to protect the integrity of the group, Paul says to excommunicate them.
So your church is trying to help you get married, divorced, and remarried in accordance with God's will.
2006-07-22 23:57:01 · answer #5 · answered by Miss Mary 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure...it does seem as though there are some religious politics playing here.
Good luck with that annulment process too...I helped a friend of mine apply for an annulment to her first husband 5 years ago and it still hasn't been approved.
She ended up getting remarried in an episcopalian church...all the tradition, less of the paperwork.
2006-07-22 23:49:13 · answer #6 · answered by lilly 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the catholic church is not necessarily full of logic. look at the case of the annulments granted to relationships that bore children. the annulment states the relationship never existed in the first place, so technically the kids are illegitimate in the eyes of the church? like most things, you either play by their rules or move on to a different version. i don't believe you'll find the catholic church high on flexibility regarding this issue.
2006-07-22 23:48:07 · answer #7 · answered by The Beast 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Write the archdioces. You do not need an annulment from a justice of the peace wedding.
If you are uncertain of how to do that just request the priest provide documentation that states a justice of the peace wedding must be annuled...
Make the priest prove it. Unless laws church law has changed in that regaurd he will not be able to prove it. Also try a diffrent parish.
2006-07-22 23:54:20 · answer #8 · answered by thebarber 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it the same parish? I can't really tell from what you've said, but maybe there was some reason that it wasn't valid, and whoever you talked to the 2nd time didn't know about it. Perhaps you can get a letter or something from whoever said it wasn't recognized, and bring this to the parish you want to be married in.
If you do need to get an annulment, it is possible to get the fee reduced or waived, depending on your income, I believe.
2006-07-22 23:48:30 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You do not need the Catholic church to get married. I was a Catholic for 45 years. They are a bunch of money-grubbing hypocrites anyway. The judge will do just fine.
2006-07-22 23:55:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋