Non-Catholic Marriages

Marriages of those not of the Catholic tradition

Some individuals whose marital status in the Catholic Church needs to be clarified may not be of the Catholic tradition. The Catholic Church presumes the validity of all marriages celebrated according to the practices of all faith traditions, Christian and non-Christian, or celebrated civilly. Thus, those of another faith tradition or no faith tradition at all who have been previously married must submit a petition for a declaration of invalidity to a Catholic Church tribunal and receive an affirmative decision if they wish to marry a Catholic in a Catholic church. The Church esteems the marriages of non-Catholics and Catholics equally. The validity of every marriage is presumed until the contrary has been established.