Expert: Fr. Michael - 6/1/2009

Question
my girlfriend just got divorced but has not yet gotten her marriage annulled.  is it a sin for us to be dating before this happens?

Answer
You're putting the cart way before the horse!  You dont "get a marriage annulled."  You are dating a married woman.  As a Catholic, you know that is wrong.

Many people do not understand what an annulment, or (more
accurately) declaration of nullity, is.  It has nothing to do with what happened *after* the marriage was entered into.  It relates only to an invalidating defect *at the time of* the marriage that rendered the contact null and void.  After all, the marriage contract (exchange of promises) was publicly entered into "for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

Remember the warning before the marriage contract is entered into:  "If anyone knows why these two should not be joined in Holy Matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his peace"?  That is intended to ferret out any nullifying causes before the marriage is entered into, for example, one of the parties is already married, one of the parties is under the age of consent, or the parties are related to one another in too close a degree by consanguinity or affinity.