Marriage in the Catholic Church has for a long time been considered a holy and sacred covenant that is made between two people in the presence of the Lord. This covenant establishes a partnership between a man and a woman, which is supposed to last for a lifetime. To mark the covenant, a sacrament of matrimony is given to the married couple to indicate their engagement and to seal their partnership in matrimonial living (Lawler 245). The couple will then together continue receiving the holy sacraments of the catholic community while in marriage. According to the bishops’ council, marriage in the Catholic Church is described to be a God given chance for a man and a woman to give one another a lifetime partnership. However, there are conditions under which marriage can be terminated, and the covenant of marriage is considered to be broken. Divorce cases are on an increasing trajectory, where marriage is no longer viewed as a lifetime partnership. Divorced couples have different procedures and conditions to satisfy in the Catholic Church. From receiving the holy sacrament, to issues of remarriage, there are diverse conditions in the church that guide marriage and a breakdown in marriage. Divorced people may consider remarriage as an option; this means that a man may look for another wife or a wife looking for another husband after the failure of the first marriage. The remarried people still have a place in the church as per the indications in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This research paper focuses on the place of the divorced and remarried persons in the Catholic Church, myself being an example of such people in the society.
The Catholic Church is known for having strict rules that govern the general conduct of the church’s doctrine regarding marriage. Therefore, matrimonial tribunal governs marriage in this church. Ultimately, the matrimonial church tribunal is the body of the church that controls and governs the general requirements that married, divorced or separated people need to satisfy in order to perform and partake of the catholic rituals. The tribunal council analyzes the conditions, in which the marriage was conducted, the cause of the divorce and the remarriage process before allowing a couple or an individual to partake of the Holy Communion and other holy church processes. Divorce and separation in marriage does not make a person to cease from being a member of the church. However, the person is entitled not to be part of some holy rituals in the church such as the holy Eucharist depending on the type of marriage the couple had and the conditions that led to the divorce. (Bunson 87)
In case the separation is done under a civil divorce without annulment of the marriage, the Catholics consider the couple to be still married in the eyes of the church. The Catholics who have undergone civil divorce can speak to a parish priest and continue to receive the Holy Communion (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2380). Civil divorce is considered to be a separation of marriage by man, and this is contrary to the biblical teachings in the gospel of Saint Matthew in which Jesus Christ says, what God has united, no man can divide (Mt 19:6), and therefore, the Catholic Church does not recognize such kind of a separation. This means that in the case of a civil divorce, a catholic is entitled to receive the sacrament and take part in the holy rituals of the church if he or she has spoken to a parish priest about the divorce. Therefore, this means that depending on the type of divorce that you underwent; you still have a place in the church to receive the Holy Communion and partake of the holy rituals of the church (Sdafani,Joseph & Linda 158).
If a divorced catholic decides he or she wants to remarry, the person must receive the annulment of the previous marriage. This means that the previous marriage between the man and a woman has to be legally canceled and be declared to have never existed. Once the marriage has been annulled, the couple members are free to get married again if they so wish. The church considers an annulled marriage to be invalid and thus the persons who were members of that marriage can start getting the Holy Communion. In this case, if you were married and divorced but the church or a legal process did not annul your marriage, then your remarriage is invalid, and the church considers you to be still in your previous marriage. Therefore, you will not be entitled to receive the holy sacrament, and you won’t participate in the holy processes of the church. If your previous marriage was annulled by the church or a legal process and that upon remarriage you followed the catholic church matrimonial process, then the church recognizes you by the current marriage, and you are entitled to receive the holy sacrament and participate in the rituals of the church (Sdafani,Joseph & Linda 158).
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2384), a person is considered adulterous if he or she is separated from the spouse and goes ahead to approach another man or woman. This means that if the first marriage still holds, you are not allowed to remarry or approach another person for what can be considered as a sexual relationship. It is important that the first marriage be canceled through a legal process so that one may be declared free to get married again by the Catholic Church. Adultery is considered a sin in the eyes of the church and even the eyes of the lord. It is stated in one of the Ten Commandments in the book of exodus that you should not commit adultery, indicating the need to appreciate ones marriage and staying faithful in it. If you chose to remarry without following the church procedure or in case you remarried outside the church, the Catholic Church does not allow you receive the Holy Communion, and you will not take part in the holy processes of the church. It is important to involve the church tribunal council in your decision to remarry after a divorce or a separation from the previous spouse so that due procedure can be followed for you to be part of the holy rituals of the church (Bunson 87).
Depending on the process of remarriage, the Catholic Church has place for remarried people to participate in the rituals of the church. The couple can still receive blessings from the church if a due process is followed in the process of remarriage. In the case of civil remarriage, the couple can consult the parish priest or the church tribunal council to arrange for church blessings for their marriage. After the blessings of the church, the couple can then begin receiving the holy sacrament and participate in the holy church processes without any obstacle. According to the teachings about marriage and remarriage in the Catholic Church, the barring of a divorced person who remarries outside the church from getting the holy sacrament is not a judgment, but it is a requirement to honor the holy matrimony, as the Bible wants it to be (Kelly 73). This means that if you decided to remarry outside the church, there is room for you to get the blessings of the church if you seek the advice, help and direction of the parish priest and the church tribunal. You will have no place to receive the holy communion if your remarriage was done outside the Catholic Church and you did no consultation with the church leadership.
Catholics who divorce and remarry non-Catholics, the situation, may make it difficult for one to receive the church blessings and be part of the holy rituals of the church such as receiving the Holy Communion. Remarrying a person out of the Catholic Church shows that one has defected from the faith and thus may not be considered for the church blessing. However, if the other person is a baptized Christian and is willing to join the Catholic Church, it will be possible for him or her to be introduced into the holy rituals of the Catholic Church. The couple can then begin receiving the Holy Communion and taking part in the holy church procedures (Lawler 245).
According to Pope John Paul, divorced and remarried persons are urged not to consider themselves as being out of the Catholic Church. The pope stated that no human situation is generally out of the grace of the Lord. This message from the pope means that divorced and remarried people can still be part of the Catholic Church processes, and thus, they still have a place in the church to receive the holy Eucharist. If the previous marriage can be annulled, and the current marriage be validated by the church, the divorced and remarried people can still participate in the church procedures (Bunson 87).
Recently, the divorced and the remarried in the catholic community had been left out of most church processes. This generally means that these people considered themselves being church rejects and may in turn, withdraw from the Catholic Church community. Pope Francis in his address to the Catholics across the world called for the divorced, separated and the remarried to join the church since the house of the lord does not have closed doors. In his speech, the pope acknowledges the catholic procedures and processes but still preaches for the inclusion of the remarried in the procedures of the church. The call from the pope means that the divorced and the remarried still have a place to be part of the general Catholic Church practices (Kelly 73).
In conclusion, divorce or separation during marriage may occur due to unavoidable circumstances while to move on and remarry after a divorce is a personal choice. The Catholic Church recognizes marriage as a holy covenant in which the two partners are engaged for a lifetime relationship. This requires that the marriage is kept holy through matrimonial sacrament and the Holy Communion. If divorce or separation occurs in the marriage, it does not separate an individual from the church; the individual can follow the set church procedure of divorce and remarriage and continue receiving the Holy Communion as it has been stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2380).
WORK CITED
Lawler, Michael G. “Marriage, and the Catholic Church: Disputed Questions”. Collegeville Minn: Liturgical Press, 2002. Print.
Bunson, Matthew. “Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Almanac”. Huntington, Ind: Our Sunday Visitor, 2009. Print.
Kelly, Kevin T. “Divorce & Second Marriage: Facing the Challenge”. Kansas City, Mo: Sheed & Ward, 2016. Print.
Dodaro, Robert. “Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church”. New York: Springer , 2014. Print.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000. Print.
Sclafani, Joseph D, and Linda V. Sclafani. “Remarriage in the Catholic Church: A Couple's Guide”. New London, CT: Twenty Third Publications, 2010. Print.
