Converting To Another Faith

[HisChild]

What happens when someone leaves the Catholic Church?

I have some friends ... he's Catholic, she's Mormon. They went searching for a church home, and the RC churches near them were really liberal. So one day they popped into an Orthodox church because he knew of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches and thought to see the similarities and differences. Well, they both knew, within 2 weeks, that this was home for them. So they went through their classes and finally were baptized (for her) and chrismated (for both of them).

If he (and she of course, which I know is a totally different issue) were to return to the Catholic Church, would he then have to go to RCIA with her? Is he no longer Catholic or is he 'once a Catholic, always a Catholic' and will just have to go to Confession?



(As an aside PLEASE pray for me/us up here in my town. I just went to the Byzantine Cathedral (which is almost 2 hours away) and was told after Divine Liturgy last night that because there are several people who make that trek, they may be starting a mission up here for those Byzantine Catholics and those RCs who have been going to the cathedral from up here. By bringing this mission up here it will also be a good way to evangelize to those who do not prefer the relaxed Mass of many RC parishes and won't have to feel like this couple 'in order to be Catholic, we had to become Orthodox'.)


God bless.

His Child

[CatherineM]

I depends on the pastor and/or diocese involved. In some places there are Re-membering classes for fallen away Catholics who return. In some places, the pastor may make a person go through RCIA classes. A lot depends on the person. If you are dealing with someone who was baptized as a Catholic, but never made first communion, that's a lot different than dealing with someone who left the church for a few years as an adult. The first person would probably be required to go through RCIA, and the second would probably be handled in the confessional.