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Sixteenth Sunday of the Year
18 July 2010
Dear Friends in Christ,
Each week in our bulletin and music sheet, a statement is published which explains who should and should not receive Holy Communion, and among the Catholics who should not receive the Holy Eucharist are those who are married “outside of the Church.” What does this mean?
Since the Council of Trent in the 16th century, Catholic Christians have been bound by canon law to observe what is called the “canonical form of marriage,” which means that they must exchange their marriage vows in the presence of a priest or deacon and two witnesses. And before being permitted to exchange vows in this way, they must also fulfill the requirements for marriage preparation which are specified by canon law, the local bishop, and the parish pastor. These requirements include, among other things, demonstrating that one is free to marry, that one understands the nature and obligations of marriage, and that one is entering the sacrament of marriage freely and without compulsion of any kind. Finally, if a Catholic intends to marry a non-Catholic, then the Catholic party must also promise to raise any children born of the marriage in the Catholic Church.
A Catholic who, for any reason, marries in any way other than that described above has married “outside the Church” and is by that fact alone impeded from receiving any sacraments of the Church, including the Holy Eucharist and Penance. The only exception to this rule is made for Catholics who request from the local bishop permission to be dispensed from canonical form in order to marry in a Protestant ceremony, but this dispensation must be sought before the marriage and must be given in writing. Absent these conditions, any Catholic who is married by a Protestant minister or a judge is not married in the Church, and while the union is a civil marriage acknowledged by the state, it is not a sacramental marriage and therefore a Catholic in such a marriage is in a condition of impaired communion in the Church.
The most common reason Catholics marry outside of the Church is that they or their intended spouse have been married before, have not obtained an annulment from the Church, and are therefore not free to marry. Other reasons include going through a period of not practicing the faith, or of eloping to avoid the complexities of marriage preparation, or of being pregnant before the wedding. But whatever the reason, any Catholic who has been married outside the Church should not receive Holy Communion and should approach the parish priest to explore the various canonical remedies that exist for such situations. If you have any doubt about the canonical situation of your marriage, please be in touch with me so that we can help answer these questions.
Father Newman