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Home / Offices & Ministries / Family Ministry / Marriage / Catholic Marrying a Non-Catholic

Catholic Marrying a Non-Catholic

Since Vatican Council II (1967), the Catholic Church has moved toward a spirit of ecumenism and is more open to recognizing mixed marriages.

Basically, the Church recognizes two types of mixed marriages:

  • Mixed religion marriage or interchurch marriage
    Marriage between a Catholic and another baptized Christian (but not Catholic) person.
  • Interfaith marriage
    Marriage between a Catholic and a person who is not Catholic or Christian.

If you and your fiancé will be entering into a mixed marriage it is important that you both evaluate your views and values regarding marriage in order to ensure that you are sufficiently compatible with each other.

There is always room for individual differences, however, on major issues, morals and values, similarities should outweigh the differences.

Topics that you will need to explore because of your different religious backgrounds:

  • The role of God in your relationship –How important is God to you?
  • How will you practice your faith?
  • If and when you are blessed with children, what importance will religion play in the upbringing of children?

The Catholic Update has an article Interchurch Marriages: How to Help Them Succeed by Elizabeth Bookster Barkley.

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