Catholic Online Forum

What is the Church's position when a validly married couple divorces, but then decides to reconcile, but does not remarry? Since in the eyes of the Church, the marriage has not ended, it would appear unnecessary to remarry (except for the obvious civil protections).

Does the Church require that a marriage be both civil and sacramental?

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Dominique

Dominique,

With regard to civil law, the Church requires that civil law be followed except when such civil law conflicts with Church law. In some countries, where government laws conflict with Church law, or the government outright is persecuting the Church, it is possible that marrying in the Church (or marrying civilly) would be a cause for great persecution. For example, a historical case might be when a white man married a black woman where inter-racial marriages were outlawed by the state. In that case, the Church could marry a couple "secretly" and not require that the couple attempt to register their marriage with the civil laws. On the other hand, hiding the fact from the state that they are married again and living together as husband and wife in order to receive more favorable benefits may be problematic from the perspective of justice toward the society in which the couple lives.

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Dean
Most people's sense of history goes back to breakfast time - Benjamin Netanyahu

I think that legal considerations - property, inheritance rights, taxes, etc - would make a civil remarriage necessary.

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- Joe Kelley

Death is only a shadow across the path to Heaven.