Under what circumstances would a non-Catholic marriage be considered invalid by the Catholic Church?
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I am of the understanding that generally, the Catholic Church recognizes non-Catholic marriages as valid marriages. So in general, if a non-Catholic couple converts to Catholicism, they will not have to re-certify their marriage (or even if just one of the two becomes Catholic).
I'm wondering under what circumstances one might not be able to transfer his/her marriage in this way, i.e. when would a converting person's marriage *not* be considered valid by the Church. For instance (and these things may be common in some cultures):
* The person could be a remarried divorcee,
* The couple may be first cousins,
* One or both may have been underage at the time of the marriage, or still underage at the present time,
* The marriage may have been conducted without consent of one or both parties,
* The person may be a polygamist.
Which situations which would definitely never be considered a valid marriage? If some are considered on a case-by-case basis, how are cases determined?
Asked by Dark Malthorp
(4706 rep)
May 27, 2025, 12:31 PM
Last activity: May 27, 2025, 09:26 PM
Last activity: May 27, 2025, 09:26 PM