Does Something Like This Really Merit Excommunication?

[Selah]

I read on a forum somewhere that a person's father was excommunicated for marrying in a protestant church. I scratched my head a bit when I read this. Perhaps there is more to the story, but say the situation were to happen...would the person be excommunicated from the church?

Thanks!

[StColette]

[quote name='Selah' post='1572069' date='Jun 15 2008, 05:41 PM']I read on a forum somewhere that a person's father was excommunicated for marrying in a protestant church. I scratched my head a bit when I read this. Perhaps there is more to the story, but say the situation were to happen...would the person be excommunicated from the church?

Thanks![/quote]

I've never heard of excommunication happening because of this. There might be more background into the story.

The following is from the USCCB about frequently asked questions about marriage in the Church

3. What is the difference between a valid and an invalid Catholic marriage?

Just as individual states have certain requirements for civil marriage (e.g., a marriage license, blood tests), the Catholic Church also has requirements before Catholics can be considered validly married in the eyes of the Church. A valid Catholic marriage results from four elements: (1) the spouses are free to marry; (2) they freely exchange their consent; (3) in consenting to marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to children; and (4) their consent is given in the presence of two witnesses and before a properly authorized Church minister. Exceptions to the last requirement must be approved by church authority.

4. If a Catholic wants to marry a non-Catholic, how can they assure that the marriage is recognized by the Church?

In addition to meeting the criteria for a valid Catholic marriage (see question #3), the Catholic must seek permission from the local bishop to marry a non-Catholic. If the person is a non-Catholic Christian, this permission is called a "permission to enter into a mixed marriage." If the person is a non-Christian, the permission is called a "dispensation from disparity of cult." Those helping to prepare the couple for marriage can assist with the permission process.

5. Why does a Catholic wedding have to take place in a church?

For Catholics, marriage is not just a social or family event, but a church event. For this reason, the Church prefers that marriages between Catholics, or between Catholics and other Christians, be celebrated in the parish church of one of the spouses. Only the local bishop can permit a marriage to be celebrated in another suitable place.

6. If a Catholic wishes to marry in a place outside the Catholic church, how can he or she be sure that the marriage is recognized by the Catholic Church as valid?

The local bishop can permit a wedding in another church, or in another suitable place, for a sufficient reason. For example, a Catholic seeks to marry a Baptist whose father is the pastor of the local Baptist church. The father wants to officiate at the wedding. In these circumstances, the bishop could permit the couple to marry in the Baptist church. The permission in these instances is called a "dispensation from canonical form."

7. If two Catholics or a Catholic and non-Catholic are married invalidly in the eyes of the church, what should they do about it?

They should approach their pastor to try to resolve the situation.

[url="http://www.usccb.org/laity/marriage/marriagefaqs.shtml"]http://www.usccb.org/laity/marriage/marriagefaqs.shtml[/url]

Now if the person asked premission from the Bishop, and the Bishop denied the request for a good reason, and that person disobeyed the Bishop and went ahead with the marriage anyway, I could see where that would lead to some problems. I'm not sure if that would be a case for excommunication or not. I know it would be willful disobedience, which knowing the gravity of the situation the person would be committing a mortal sin.

I hope this gives some light on the criteria at least. As for the excommunication, I would have to know more of what happened in the situation that might have caused that. But, if they met all the requirements and had premission from the Bishop then they would of course not be excommunicated. Maybe some of the other Scholars has some more input on the situation.

If you have any further questions regarding anything I posted, you can PM me and I will post them in here, since you can't repost in this thread.

God Bless,
Jennie