[cholbert]

I am a widowed catholic wanting to remarry in the catholic church to a divorced non-baptized man, who was married in a methodist church. Will a annulment be necessary for him to get?

[Frieda Arpoika]

If a person is not Catholic, he is not required to marry in the Catholic Church for a valid marriage. Since your friend was not a Catholic when he married, the Church sees his marriage as valid and he will need to have it annuled before you can marry in the Catholic Church. Since annulments take over a year it is best if you get the application form ASAP. Unless his ex-spouse was a baptized Catholic? That would change things.

[startingover]

Congratulations on finding love again. Frieda is correct that he will need an annulment, unless his previous spouse was also not baptized. If he does not need an annulment, we would still encourage you to get some good, in-depth pre-marriage counseling.

However, an annulment can be very beneficial in a number of ways. Answering the questions thoughtfully will enable him to understand what went wrong in his previous marriage so he can avoid these problems in his future marriage to you. He can also learn more about himself and areas of personality that may need encouragement from you and help from God, who loves you both with an amazing love. There may be unresolved anger or feelings of regret from his former marriage, for example.

Please make an appointment to talk with your priest. In order to be married in the Catholic Church, you will need something called "dispensation from canonical form," since your intended is not a baptized Catholic. If he considers himself a Christian but has not been baptized, there may be an element of faith commitment lacking. Is this something you can live with? Look to God for guidance and spend time in prayer about your decision.

God bless you.