Divorce, Remarriage and Communion

by CNS · July 15, 2022

Photo: Jose Martinez/Cathopic

Question: My brother was married in the Catholic Church but got divorced many years ago. Since then, he has not received Holy Communion, although he goes to Mass every week. He also got remarried (not, of course, in the Catholic Church — he hadn’t had his first marriage annulled), but he and his second wife are no longer living together.

My question is this: Since he is no longer living as a married person, couldn’t he just go to confession and then be able to receive the Eucharist?

Answer: Your brother was correct in not receiving holy Communion; the fact of his second marriage — outside the Catholic Church — did make him ineligible to take the Eucharist.

The divorce by itself did not take away the chance for Communion. A fair number of people think — unfortunately — that a divorce itself has that effect; that is untrue — in fact, sometimes a divorce can occur with little, or even no, responsibility on the part of one of the spouses; and even a spouse who bears major responsibility for the breakup of a marriage can go to confession and be absolved.

But a marriage outside the church does remove the chance of receiving holy Communion; the reception of the Eucharist implies that a person recognizes and accepts what the church teaches, including the church’s guidelines on marriage.

So what can your brother do now, since he is no longer living with his second wife? Well, if that second marital relationship is really over, you are right — he can, and should, see a priest for confession.

He should explain to the priest his circumstances (the fact of the second marriage), ask forgiveness and be absolved. Then he would be ready to return to the nourishing presence of Christ in Holy Communion.

Answered by Father Kenneth Doyle