WAW Using God II

[25yearsmlc]

no offense but I think you're way off on my brother's marriage being invalid in the eyes of the church and it's ironic as hell coming from someone who wants an annulment after DBing to save the marriage. Deep is correct, for a marriage never to have been valid in the eyes of the Church, one or more of very FEW elements must be missing. FWIW most Catholic parishes are looking for ways to keep people in the church feeling welcome rather than ways to exclude from our faith. In the US our numbers are in decline and although I don't like being 'trendy" with faith, I find the idea that a WAS can end a LBS person's chance for love forever, in "the eyes of a loving God" pretty darn untenable.

In my brother's case (which had a bishop's approval, btw), I suspect that the prior m's were not considered sacramental or valid, (sil was m to a Muslim but my brother was m to a Baptist) and that part-i.e, the sacramental dimensions being essential, is something I do recall from my Canon law class.


Certainly if his prior m was valid, seems yours would be too. And your recall of comments or her new ones are not going to suffice IF the old rules apply. As I recall my friend's annulment required ME to vouch for the fact that her husband changed his mind about kids, or never wanted kids but pretended to at the time of the M which is fraud...I and 2 other "witnesses" had to attest to some sort of fraud. That was 26 years ago though. I think insanity, drunkeness and basically inability to comprehend your vows for the sacrament were factors. I cannot recall ANY others, I mean, lacking the ability (for a variety of reasons like the aforementiond) to grasp the vows and mean them, or material fraud are the only reasons I recall existing. It's been awhile. But I know there was a short little list back then. Maybe it's different now. (And legal annulments grounds are quite different, although they also mean that the marriage was never valid, in the eyes of man's law).

Best of luck in your inward search. Oh, and you may want to check out another opinion b/c clearly there is some variability, regardless of whether there should be, there is.
J-