[kilpatrp]

I searched but could not find an answer to this question (I found a similar Q from 2005, but there was no answer given;pastor promised to get back to writer). I married a Catholic man in 1980 in a Catholic Church. I had not been baptized. I went thru RCIA, got baptized and became Catholic in 2003. We divorced in 2006 after years of his chronic adultery. Do I still need an annulment before the Catholic Church will recognize or perform a new marriage?

[startingover]

You show great initiative and wisdom in checking the archives first. Good for you!

As for your situation, the short answer is yes, you will need an annulment from your first marriage. Although you were not baptized when you married your Catholic spouse, you converted and were baptized later. This made your marriage sacramental and binding in the eyes of the Church.

Please speak with a sympathetic priest or layperson who is trained in leading people through the annulment process. Answering the annulment questions can be very healing for your emotions and your spirit. From your post, it is obvious your previous spouse did not take his marriage vows seriously. This must have hurt and angered you deeply.

May God comfort you in His amazing love.

[kilpatrp]

Thank you very much for the info and positive words. You are right, it was very painful to spend most of my adult life with a man who did not respect God, our marriage, himself or me. My faith has been a tremendous help in recovering, and I am doing much better now.