Catholic Teaching on Marriage, Divorce, and ‘Annulments’

As Catholics, we believe that marriage is a vocation, meaning a state of life that God either calls or does not call a person to live. God will never force a person to live any given vocation, but if we call ourselves to something that God does not intend for us, we likely will not be as fulfilled as if we had been open to His plan for our lives. For this reason, parents should encourage their teenage and young adult children to prayerfully discern the state of life God may be inviting them to live: priesthood, consecrated religious, marriage, or single life.   

For most Catholics, their God-given vocation is probably holy matrimony. That said, it is not enough to base one’s decision to get married simply on the fact that he or she is attracted to the opposite sex, is in love, and likes the idea of a permanent commitment to a spouse with whom to raise children. Again, the question that must be asked is whether God is calling that individual to that state of life and whether living up to the “worse” (or even “worst”) of “for better or worse” is something that person is able and willing to do should it come to that. 

 The Bible tells us that God is the author of marriage, as we read at the beginning of the Book of Genesis. In the New Testament, Jesus elevated marriage to a sacrament. A sacrament, you’ll recall, is an outward sign, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, as a means of bestowing grace. A sacramental marriage occurs between two validly baptized individuals of the opposite sex. Assuming the sacramental marriage is valid at the exchange of the “I do’s” no human authority can nullify this union in the eyes of God. 

 A marriage is not considered sacramental if the wedding takes place outside of a church. If at least one of the spouses was Catholic at the time of the wedding, and the marriage took place in a courthouse or on a beach, this is considered “Lack of Form” and is therefore invalid until a convalidation (i.e. the exchange of vows in front of a priest or deacon) takes place. This is a big deal. Those spouses should not receive any sacraments until the convalidation occurs.  

Another important thing to keep in mind is that the marital union cannot simultaneously be valid and invalid. Just because the state recognizes a marriage does not necessarily mean that the Church recognizes that marriage; but, if the Church recognizes the marriage as valid, the couple is joined in the eyes of God until death. Jesus very clearly labeled divorce and remarriage as adultery. 

 All of that said, the reality is that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, and often people do look to find another romantic partner after their marriage fails. While the Church recognizes that there are cases where the two spouses should not remain together (such as, for instance, if the safety of one of them is in question), a civil divorce is considered a “separation” by the Church, and of itself does not give either spouse the right to enter a new relationship or even begin dating.  

Bishop Robert Barron has encouraged Catholics to think of the Church’s “no” on any number of moral issues as a “yes” to something higher. In this example, a “no” to divorce and remarriage is a “yes” to unconditional love and the indissolubility of the marital union.

 Catholics who have civilly divorced are encouraged to reach out to their priest to see if a declaration of nullity is a possibility. But again, the thing to remember is that the Church does not have the authority to jettison Jesus’s teaching on divorce and remarriage, nor does it have the power to take a valid marriage and declare it invalid. While we are not unsympathetic to problems a couple may have encountered, the only pertinent question is whether the union may not have been valid from the start. 

Catholics who have married outside of the Church (without a subsequent convalidation) or have divorced and remarried (without a declaration of nullity for prior marriages) are still considered Catholic, and should still be attending Mass, but are in a state where they should not be receiving the sacraments, especially Holy Communion. If they have not already done so, they are strongly encouraged to reach out to their priest or a deacon. (n.b. In danger of death, a priest can still administer the final sacraments.)  

It is worth noting that a civil divorce does not ordinarily prevent that Catholic from continuing to receive the sacraments. It is entering a new relationship without a declaration of nullity (or the death of the previous spouse) that presents a problem.  

The bottom line is that marriage is intended to be a source of sanctification to both spouses, despite the inevitable ups and downs. Sacramental grace is a huge part in living the vocation as God intends — with joy! — but all of this should start with prayerful discernment — which is to say to examine whether or not God is calling one to that state of life. 

God bless, 

Fr. Craig

Our Lady of Hope Media Team

17 June 2026