Catholics, why can't a divorced person become catholic without annulling a prior marriage?

Question

If they were married, had kids, then divorced and remarried, they can't receive communion unless they annul their first marriage. Yet a married catholic that commits adultry CAN receive communion. Why is that?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church believes that God does not recognize civil divorces.

Jesus said, "Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." (Mark 10:9)

However there may be hope of a declaration of nullity.

The term "annulment" is a misnomer because the Church does not undo or erase a marriage bond.

Rather the Church issues a declaration of nullity when it discovers that the parties were not truly joined by God and hence a full spiritual sacramental marriage as understood by the Church was not present.

Then the parties are free to marry for the first time.

The procedure is the same whether or not there are children in the marriage. If a declarations of nullity is granted then the children are still considered legitimate and retain all legal rights.

Approach the appropriate person your in your parish who has been trained in the process. If you encounter difficulties, you may go directly to the diocese.

Be prayerful, honest and patient. It takes a while.

A married Catholic who commits adultery cannot receive the Eucharist (Communion) unless his or her sin has been forgiven.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Because the Catholic Church takes marriage vows seriously. Their second marriage cannot be valid unless their first marriage was invalid for some reason. The state has no authority to dissolve a valid Christian marriage in which two people solemnly vow before God and the Church to remain faithful until death. The state cannot "undo" a Christian baptism or Confirmation or Ordination, so what bizarre logic would give them the power to "unmarry" two people joined by God? Scripture tells us "what God has joined together no man must separate".

An annulment proceding determines whether the first marriage was in fact a valid Christian marriage. If it was, then nothing can dissolve it except the death of one of the spouses, and in that case the second "marriage" was never a marriage at all, since one of the parties, being already married to someone else, was not free to marry. If the first marriage is determined to be invalid because of any of several possible deficiencies, than an annulment can be issued, and the second marriage validated. Note that an annulment does not change anything. It is only an official acknowledgment of what already exists.

Yes, a Catholic who commits adultery and repents of the sin and confesses it can receive Communion. Likewise someone who has committed adultery before becoming Catholic can receive Communion under the same requirements. This is very different however from two people living in an ongoing, unrepentent state of adultery. No-one in that situation can receive Communion, whether a convert to Catholicism or not.

Answer 3

Biblically, you are supposed to marry one person of the opposite sex until death or infidelity. So, catholics rationalize this fact by letting people annul their marriage so that it never existed. I don't know about the communion thing. I know a couple would have to annul their marriage to get married to someone else. Anyway, in both situations they can technically take communion because no one knows what is personally going on in their life so they could just keep it a secret and take communion. Deceiving, is a sin however and no one deceives God because he sees everything. So, that pretty much makes annulment silly!

Answer 4

There are divorced people that are catholic. Just because your're divorced doesn't mean you're thrown from the church. It means you can't marry within the church if you marry again. If adultery is discovered then they will probably kick that person out. Different parishes have different rules so you can't guide yourself by one church.

Answer 5

No they can`t. A priest cannot knowingly give communion to anyone who is not in a state of grace...that is who has not been to weekly confession...that is why most churches hold confession every saturday. The problem is either lax priests or unknowing ones...

Answer 6

you can be anything u want to be. and communion is nothing but ritualized cannibalism. i think they are just closet-cannibals. (eating flesh of christ and drinking his blood. nizzasty)