If a Catholic woman is divorced, why does her Church not permit her to remarry?

Answer 1

Because the church feels that they are still married in the eyes of god. The couple didn't get an anullment, they got a secular divorce. They are different things. The church then feels that, if they were to allow another marriage, they would be aiding the new couple is committing adultery.

Idiotic isn't it?

Answer 2

To receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is to join a man and woman, as husband and wife, together in a spiritual bond that lasts for all eternity in the eyes of God.

A divorce is a mere legal proceeding. While this dissolves a marriage in the eyes of political law, it has no effect on Church Law.

The thing you need to understand it that God's Law transcends earthly law. Therefore, something that is binding according to civil/political law may not necessarily be binding according to the Church.

The Church states that the marital bond is eternal. Thus, a mere earthly legal system cannot dissolve a spiritual bond.

Given that the marital bond is eternal, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony can only be received once. A person cannot remarry if they have received a legal divorce. As far as the Church is concerned - and the Church is right - the marital bond still exists, regardless of whether or not a civil divorce has taken place.

FYI - There is something called an annulment. Many people falsely believe an annulment to be a divorce proceeding executed by the Church. This is false. An annulment is a declaration by the Church - that a valid marital bond never existed in the first place.

There might be some reason, unknown at the time of the wedding ceremony, that prevents the eternally binding marital bond from taking place. In such a situation, since a marital bond was never forged to begin with, the married couple can receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony "again", since no bond was forged the first time.

In the last few years, it seems Catholic annulments have exploded onto the scene. Married Catholic couples, who have been unable to keep it together, choose to separate and are investigating the posssibility that a marital bond was, for whatever reason, not formed at the time of their receiving the Sacrament. They do this in the hopes that they will be able to form relationships with new companions without committing adultry. Because of this, I can see why many people miscontrue annulments.

Answer 3

Hi there!

The Catholic Church follows Jesus' commands not permitting anyone who has married to marry again unless the spouse is dead. But the term marriage here has some restriction that is that both the man and the woman are in the faith (catholic), and the marriage is not forced by anything (e.g by the parents or by any situations), and there is a real sexual relationship after the marriage.

In some cases, the marriage can be nulled (not divorced) by the church authorities if found not filling the above conditions and the man or the woman can marry to other woman or man.

To know more about this please go the some catholic priests for advice and tell the rest of her story, maybe it could help for reference. Some catholic books can also help.

Good luck!

Answer 4

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.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Techincally she is still married, because the marriage is a 3-way covenant between the husband, wife, and god himself. And since you're not supposed to break covenants with god, one presumes, you have to deny that the whole thing ever happened by getting an anullment.

To get an anullment you have to go to your diocesan tribunal, which is a panel of priests who are trained in canon (church) law. Then you do a lot of paperwork to tell them what went wrong, and if they find something suitable then they issue a decree that you were never really married at all, because the vows were faulty and non-binding (because they were coerced, you were immature or under too much pressure, et cetera). A lot of times they don't even grant one.

Without an anullment, the woman is technically married to two men and then the woman (and the man and the priest if they know about it) can all be excommunicated.

Answer 6

If a Catholic man is divorced he cannot remarry either.

Marriage is for life. You vow to your spouse and to God, to love, honor and cherish until death. This is not a promise to be made lightly. It is a sacred and binding vow. Sealed by God.

In the Catholic church you can apply for an annulment, but this is a long process and is not guaranteed. Basically, you fill out a detailed questionnaire and get 3 witnesses who have knowledge of your marriage, to fill out questionnaires. Your ex-spouse will be asked to fill out a questionnaire as well. They take all the information into consideration, weigh the evidence in light of God's word and try to determine if the marriage was sacramental and valid. This is not an easy process nor a "given" that you'll get an annulment.

If you do get an annulment, you can get married in the Church because your original marriage was not valid in the eyes of God.

Answer 7

Because the church believes in one marriage for life, you apply to have the first marriage annulled and if the case has merit an annulment would be granted and you could get married again in the church. You can marry a second time as a catholic just not in the church as it would not be recognized unless you receive an annulment first...I have just gone through this process so that I can join the church and have my current marriage blessed by the church... It's something you truly have to want and not everyone want's to spend the time or money to do so.

Answer 8

Divorce is not allowed in the Catholic religion. Marriage is seen as a holy sacrament. Annulment or dissolution of a marriage through false pretenses ( for example you married someone who you did not know was gay or you married someone who is already married) would be a valid reason to have your marriage annulled. I am sure there are other valid reasons for annulments to be granted. The Pope has to grant the annulment, then and only them would a divorced woman/man be allowed to get married through the church once more.

Answer 9

I remarried outside the Church. However, I cannot be married in the Church (and I don't want to be) until I have received an annulment which invalidates my original marriage in the Church.
Once the original marriage is deemed invalid then you are free to remarry in the Church. I went with a Universalist this time around ( of course of you are homosexual you can't get married in the Church or in most Churches for that matter.........a damn shame)

Answer 10

It is not just the Catholic Church, other Christian denominations also forbid a divorced person (not just the woman) to remarry while their ex-spouse is still alive. They do it because that is what the Bible teaches.