Marriage QUESTION from Maria July 20, 2001 I am a catholic, and my partner is an un-baptised non-catholic. What is required of us, so that we are able to be married in a catholic church?
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on July 20, 2001 Dear Miss Maria:
A marriage between a Catholic and an unbaptized person is not valid normally. But one can ask the Bishop to receive a dispensation from this rule.
You will need to get a specific dispensation from the bishop to have a valid marriage. If you get that, then you can marry and remain in communion with the church.
You should contact your parish priest to get the ball rolling and tell him the situation and what you need to do to gain a dispensation. If the parish priest is not knowledgable about this situation, contact your diocese offices and ask for the Marriage Tribunal. They can inform you with what is involved.
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