[alicia]

My husband was married 10 year ago by a Baptist minister, his ex-wife was Baptist. He is Catholic. What kind of annulment does he need in order to marry me in the Catholic Church? This will be my first marriage.

[startingover]

The kind of annulment he needs will depend on a couple of things. Was he Catholic at the time of his first marriage and did he acquire proper dispensation from his priest in order to be married in a Baptist church?

If he did not get dispensation, then his first marriage would be considered "outside the Church" and as such would be valid but not sacramental. He would need the shorter type of annulment for "defect of form" since as a Catholic, he did not follow his Church's canon law.

If he did get dispensation, that means he contacted his priest and followed proper canon law procedure. As such, his first marriage would have been considered both valid and sacramental. If this is the case, he would need to fill out the longer type of annulment, which can be very healing for inner wounds and enlightening on what went wrong with his first marriage.

If he was not Catholic at the time of his first marriage, then he will most likely need the longer annulment form.

You should both talk with your priest, as this must be cleared up and an annulment granted before you marry. Congratulations on finding love and wanting to follow the Church's directives on proper marriage procedures. It sounds like you're starting off on the right foot! May you have a blessed, happy sacramental marriage. May God bless you both.

[alicia]

Thank you very much for your information. We will follow your advice[]