Marrying a non Christian

Banaba

Hi I am just curious to know can a catholic marry a non practising Muslim in a Catholic Church? I am finding conflicting information online. Thanks

Sinus pain

I think you have to have made your confirmation to marry in a Catholic Church - open to correction though.

Peregrinus

Banaba wrote: »

Hi I am just curious to know can a catholic marry a non practising Muslim in a Catholic Church? I am finding conflicting information online. Thanks

Yes. But it will require a dispensation from the diocesan bishop - marriage to a non-Cathlic always does, never mind to a non-Christian.

If you apply for a dispensation, the issue will not be whether your intended is a Muslim or not, is practising or not; it will be whether your intended has a hostile attitude to your Catholic faith. If they are respectful of your Catholic faith and your practice of it, there shouldn't be a problem about getting a dispensation.

And finally, for completeness - as far as Catholic canon law is concerned, you need this dispensation regardless of whether you with to marry in a Catholic ceremony, or in some other ceremony. It's just that it's a practical necessity if you want a Catholic ceremony - the priest won't proceed without the dispensation. Whereas you can get married in a mosque or a registry office without getting the bishop's dispensation; you'll put yourself out of line with Catholic church requirements, and they'll take the view that your marriage is invalid because you didn't get a dispensation, but the marriage will still be celebrated.

martinedwards

apart from the whole church law side of things.....

two practicing members of different religions are setting themselves up for more potential friction down the line than two folk of the same or no religion.

basically you believe that they are going to hell and vice versa.

and then kids come along and the midden will really hit the windmill!

I believe the Bible does have a verse along the lines of "don't be yolked to non believers"

FourFourRED

martinedwards wrote: »

apart from the whole church law side of things.....

two practicing members of different religions are setting themselves up for more potential friction down the line than two folk of the same or no religion.

basically you believe that they are going to hell and vice versa.

and then kids come along and the midden will really hit the windmill!

I believe the Bible does have a verse along the lines of "don't be yolked to non believers"

That’s a very sad outlook on life.

Peregrinus

martinedwards wrote: »

apart from the whole church law side of things.....

two practicing members of different religions are setting themselves up for more potential friction down the line than two folk of the same or no religion.

basically you believe that they are going to hell and vice versa . . .

I think you're generallyising a bit there. Not all religions teach that all non-members of that particular religion go to hell. In fact that's probably something of a minority position.

darlett

FourFourFM wrote: »

That’s a very sad outlook on life.

And a really awful contribution to a couple about to marry simply looking for ceremony advice.

As the kid of a Catholic and CoI couple(Not Muslim but in a different era it was kind of a thing) I can only say differences in my folks religions have not been felt by me or my siblings. Nothing unusual struck the windmill. (What did that actually mean?)
But then we weren't there on the big day when they were er... yolking themselves to each other.

martinedwards

Peregrinus wrote: »

I think you're generallyising a bit there. Not all religions teach that all non-members of that particular religion go to hell. In fact that's probably something of a minority position.

I think you'll find that both Christianity and Islam teach that only their own believers will reach heaven/paradise/escape judgement.

therefore NON believers do NOT reach those positions.

sorry to rain on the parade with totally main-stream doctrines from both major world religions.

Neither are famous for their "ah sure you'll be grand" attitudes.

Peregrinus

martinedwards wrote: »

I think you'll find that both Christianity and Islam teach that only their own believers will reach heaven/paradise/escape judgement.

Some Christians believe this. Others deny it. Still others are silent on the point.

And we're not talking about obscure fringe Christians here. The Catholic church, for example, explicitly teaches that non-Christians can be saved.

Similarly, it is not difficult to find Islamic sources which explicitly teach that non-Muslims can attain paradise. I'm not in a position to say whether this is the dominant view in Islam or a minority view but, for what it's worth, my googling didn't find any Islamic apologetics site asserting that non-Muslims could not attain heaven; all those I found asserted that they could.

martinedwards wrote: »

sorry to rain on the parade with totally main-stream doctrines from both major world religions.

Here, let me lend you my umbrella. I don't need it.

homer911

Peregrinus wrote: »

The Catholic church, for example, explicitly teaches that non-Christians can be saved.

Of course non-Christians can be saved, its their salvation that makes them a Christian. None of us are born Christians.

Peregrinus

homer911 wrote: »

Of course non-Christians can be saved, its their salvation that makes them a Christian. None of us are born Christians.

Did you read the link? In Catholic teaching it is not necessary to know Christ or his Gospel, or even to have an explicit knowledge of God, to attain salvation.