Ridiculous Moral Situation

[scardella]

Ok, so the situation is that a married couple (rather than dating/engaged) gets split up, and the man goes missing for some years. He's presumed dead (like in Cast Away, of course).

1. Is it morally permissable for the woman to remarry despite no body showing up? To her (and everyone else's) knowledge, he's in Davey Jones' locker. What would the Church say in this situation?
2. If he did wind up resurfacing and she had remarried (assuming that the Church allows it), the second marriage would be considered null, correct?
3. If he were permanently marooned w/ some natives, he has to assume that she lives (if she weren't also presumed dead by him) so he cannot marry one of the natives, despite never being able to be reunited with his wife, correct?

I know, this is stupid, but I figured I'd throw it out anyway.

[OLAM Dad]

1. I'm sure that the Church has specific rules surronding this because of all the people that are MIA and presumed dead in wars.

2. I believe you're right here

3. No, he should not marry. Unlike her, he has no reason to believe that she is dead. Edited April 7, 2006 by OLAM Dad

[Thumper]

You're right that the Church has had to deal with this before. In the Penetentials of Theodore (guides for confessors to help them determine the penance to assign particular sins), it indicates that if a husband or a wife is abducted in war and enslaved, the spouse may remarry after a particular period of time (a few years, I think). So death was not necessarily required for re-marriage to occur.

What I found even more interesting: if the first, abuducted spouse did return, the second husband/wife had to be dumped in favor of the first.

I think that would make Thanksgiving dinners really awkward.

Those interesting tidbits of Church history aside, I'm not sure what modern day canon law has to say.

[Paphnutius]

[quote name='Thumper' date='Apr 7 2006, 10:01 AM'] it indicates that if a husband or a wife is abducted in war and enslaved, the spouse may remarry after a particular period of time (a few years, I think).  So death was not necessarily required for re-marriage to occur.  [/quote]
I think it is seven years but I am not sure.

[Brother Adam]

Seven years does come to mind.

[homeschoolmom]

A person can be declared legally dead after being missing for seven years. (But in Cast Away he was only gone for four, but I guess in his case, he was presumed dead sooner because of the plane crash)

But that's civil... I have no idea what the Church says...

[Jaime]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Apr 7 2006, 04:29 PM']A person can be declared legally dead after being missing for seven years. (But in Cast Away he was only gone for four, but I guess in his case, he was presumed dead sooner because of the plane crash)

But that's civil... I have no idea what the Church says...
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The Church has declared infallibly that no one is allowed to marry a volleyball.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Apr 7 2006, 03:32 PM']The Church has declared infallibly that no one is allowed to marry a volleyball.
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They were only living together as plutonic friends...

[Colleen]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Apr 7 2006, 04:36 PM']They were only living together as [b]plutonic[/b] friends...
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So you thought their relationship was kind of rocky, eh? :

I thought it was rather one-sided, myself.

[Paphnutius]

[quote name='Colleen' date='Apr 7 2006, 03:12 PM']So you thought their relationship was kind of rocky, eh? :

I thought it was rather one-sided, myself.
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