Am I Permanently Barred from Ordination to the Priesthood?

Posted on January 23, 2014 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: I have been discerning my vocation, trying to determine whether or not I am called to be a priest.  I happened to find a commentary on canon law in my school library… it says that a person is barred from priestly ordination, permanently, if they have ever been a heretic, apostate, or schismatic.  I was baptized outside the Church (Lutheran), and professed agnosticism for a time before converting to Catholicism around the time I was 17.  Does that make me incur the irregularity? –Alex

A: Alex has encountered a legal concept that has not been addressed before in this space: the notion of an irregularity.  Continue reading →

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Canon Law and Non-Infant Baptism

Posted on January 9, 2014 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: My neighbors are Catholics who didn’t practice the faith for years, but now they are returning to the Church.  Their children were never baptized, so they went to the parish priest to arrange for their baptism.  But he refused, because he said the children are too old!  He claims the children are mature enough to decide for themselves if they want to be Catholic or not…. The whole thing sounds bizarre.  The parents truly want to raise their children as Catholics.  Is it possible the priest doubts their sincerity?  What can they do? –Rachel Continue reading →

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Canon Law and Consummating a Marriage

Posted on December 19, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q:  Could you please explain what ratum sed non consummatum means with respect to marriage?  I always thought that this was an antiquated term that no longer had any relevance, but recently I encountered it [in a current context]…  Why would it matter to the Church whether a marriage has been consummated or not? –Fiona

A: The Latin phrase ratum sed non consummatum is translated literally as “ratified but not consummated,” and it has been used by theologians and canonists in regard to matrimony for many centuries.  These four Latin words actually contain a wealth of information about the way the Church views marriage and its indissolubility.  Continue reading →

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Can In-Laws Marry in the Church?

Posted on December 5, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: I teach a Bible Study and I ventured into the area of annulments.  I was explaining consanguinity as an impediment to marriage. Someone raised a related issue that I could not answer.  Deuteronomy 25 presents the Levirate Law, which obliges a brother to marry his deceased brother’s wife, in certain circumstances.  The question asked was whether or not the Church allows a brother to marry his deceased brother’s wife today? –Mark

A: In “Can Cousins Marry in the Church?” we looked at the law regarding the marriage of those related by consanguinity, i.e., of  persons who are blood relations.  Mark’s question, however, refers to the marriage of those who are related not by blood, but by a prior marriage—in other words, to in-laws.  Can a widowed man marry his sister-in-law in the Church?  Let’s see what canon law has to say about this subject. Continue reading →

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Contraception and Marriage Validity

Posted on November 21, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: A friend is going to marry a man whose previous marriage was annulled… he says he was able to get an annulment because his wife was against having children and took contraceptives.  Does that mean every Catholic marriage is invalid if the couple uses contraception?–Marisa

A: No.

It’s impossible to determine the exact grounds for the annulment of the marriage which Marisa describes, based solely on the information provided here.  Nevertheless, we can examine the reasons why contraception might have been a pivotal factor in proving the nullity of this marriage. Continue reading →

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