People blinded by love, getting married and getting married in church, never think about how to get married after a divorce. However, in modern world After a few years, many couples break up and divorce. This is where the question arises, what to do with the wedding.
The Church approaches the wedding procedure very carefully. The priest, talking with the newlyweds, explains that it is almost impossible to get married, since this is a blessing from God. It is better not to do this if you are not sure about your future spouse. The procedure for debunking after divorce is quite complicated, but in all churches it is approximately the same.
Procedure for filing for church divorce
Holy Synod of Russian Orthodox Church determined the procedure for termination church marriage.
If the decision is made, the first thing to do is to come to the church in which you got married and talk to the rector who performed the wedding ceremony. If this is not possible, you need to contact any nearby church.
When applying, the abbot must conduct a conversation with the applicant about the decision made and its consequences.
Subsequently, the visitor writes a petition to the Administrator of the Diocese.
It indicates the date and place of the wedding, the history of the marriage, and also sets out with evidence (documents confirming the circumstances and reasons for the divorce). The petition is submitted by the applicant to the rector, who attaches his report to the said petition. In the report, the priest, based on the conversation, expresses his attitude towards this divorce.
The main documents that need to be attached to the application are:
- a copy of the divorce certificate issued by the civil registry office;
- a copy of the new marriage certificate (if any);
- a copy of the wedding document (if available);
- consent to debunking signed by the second spouse (if available);
- other documents confirming the circumstances stated in the petition;
- the report, petition and documents are sent to the Administrator of the Diocese, who makes a decision on the possibility of dissolving the church marriage. The corresponding document is issued to the applicant in the temple at the place of application.
List of reasons for dissolution of a church marriage
In order to obtain permission to get divorced, a blessing for a new marriage, the church, taking into account modern realities, has established a list of reasons why it is possible to get divorced after a divorce. A legally formalized divorce alone is usually not enough. The list of valid reasons includes the following:
- Cheating on a husband or wife (adultery).
- Sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS (if there is a medical certificate).
- Alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction (if there is a medical certificate).
- Recognition of a citizen as incompetent or the presence of a mental illness (a court decision or a medical certificate is presented).
- Change of faith (adoption of another faith or renunciation of Orthodoxy in favor of atheism).
- Entering into a new marriage.
- Committing a crime with the prosecution and punishment of one of the spouses (confirmed by a court verdict).
- Committing a crime against a spouse or children (attack on health and life).
- Unknown absence for more than 5 years (a document from the police or a court decision must be submitted).
- A wife committing an abortion without the knowledge or consent of her husband. Unless abortion was necessary medical indications and doctors' recommendations or pregnancy was a threat to the woman's life.
- Attempted suicide and self-harm resulting in serious injury and inability to live a full life together.
- Forcible marriage against the will of one of the spouses.
- Inability to have children.
- Bigamy.
- Incest (marriage between relatives).
In the above cases, the priest, without any problems and without the consent of the second spouse, allows the marriage to be disbanded after the divorce. In all other cases, the church approaches this issue individually. If the priests considered that there were grounds for
Wedding is one of the sacraments performed by the Orthodox Church. A beautiful and solemn ceremony attracts newlyweds. But it often happens that a wedding is just a tribute modern fashion, the young spouses do not understand the enormous responsibility they have taken upon themselves. Debunking a church marriage is condemned and not welcomed by the priesthood. After all, relationships blessed by God are once and for all!
The main reasons for the dissolution of a marriage consecrated by the church
When a divorce has officially taken place in the registry office, the former spouses want to dissolve their relationship in the church, but for this there must be particularly compelling reasons, and their fact will need to be proven:
- Infidelity(treason, adultery) of one of the spouses. According to the Teachings of Christ, this reason alone was previously the only reason for divorce. This is a huge sin and nowadays there are practically no refusals on this basis.
- The fall of one of the spouses from Orthodox faith . To recognize this reason, the church will require proof of conversion to another religion or recognition of oneself as an atheist. The most terrible sin is considered to be the transition of a person to Islam or paganism.
- Polygamy(polygamy). This refers to the acquisition by one of the spouses of a second family on the side if there is an existing one. This is strictly prohibited from both the Orthodox and civil points of view.
- Presence of sexually transmitted diseases in one of the spouses. Another proof of adultery.
- Long absence of husband or wife(missing). Moreover, the church recognizes a person as missing after 2 years (for those who took part in hostilities and for sailors), in other cases the period of absence is calculated at 5 years. Russian legislation V in this case declares a person dead.
- Attempts to cause harm to the life and health of household members(spouse, children, parents). This includes, among other things, the commission of sexual or lewd acts against minor children.
- Imprisonment of husband or wife.
- Mental illness. An incurable mental illness that often poses a danger to others.
- Complete infertility of husband or wife.
- Incest. Sexual intercourse or entering into a marriage with blood relatives.
We live in a time of global impoverishment of love, faith and patience, when family values are no longer perceived by modern corrupt people as an absolute and inviolable shrine. Unfortunately, not everything is so smooth in the homes of believers. Lately, we periodically hear that yet another couple married in a church has divorced.
Through the efforts of our author Maria Sarajishvili, we collected 5 such stories and asked another regular author of the portal, priest Pavel Gumerov, to comment on them.
Maria Sarajishvili
FIVE SAD STORIES
"All happy families look alike
each unhappy family unhappy in her own way"
L.N. Tolstoy
Instead of a preface
Angela (Moscow): “...Before the second wedding, they simply read some kind of prayer of permission to my mother. And on the same day I married my second husband.”
Earlier it was believed that once you got married, that was it, there was no turning back
Simple and easy. Twenty years ago it was believed that getting a church certificate was the most difficult thing, impossible without special reasons. Few of the parishioners really knew these reasons, and it was believed that once they got married, that was it, there was no turning back.
And the real reasons for the dissolution of the church marriage were these. According to According to the definition of the Local Council of 1917-1918, the reasons for divorce in the Russian Orthodox Church can be:
- Falling away from Orthodoxy (the right to ask the court for a divorce belongs to the spouse who remains in Orthodoxy).
- Adultery and unnatural vices.
- Incapacity for marital cohabitation (if it began before marriage and is not due to old age; the case is initiated no earlier than two years from the date of marriage; if the incapacity was the result of intentional bodily injury after marriage, divorce is permitted).
- Disease of leprosy or syphilis.
- Unknown absence (at least three years; two years - if the missing spouse was at war or sailed on a ship).
- The sentencing of one of the spouses to punishment, coupled with the deprivation of all rights of the estate.
- Encroachment on the life and health of a spouse or children (causing serious injury, or serious, life-threatening beatings, or harm important to health).
- Snitching, pandering and benefiting from the indecency of a spouse.
- Entry of one of the spouses into a new marriage.
- An incurable serious mental illness that eliminates the possibility of continuing marriage.
- Malicious abandonment of a spouse by the other spouse if it makes it impossible to continue the marriage.
According to the Basics social concept Russian Orthodox Church “currently, this list of grounds for divorce is supplemented by such reasons as AIDS, medically certified chronic alcoholism or drug addiction, and a wife committing an abortion with her husband’s disagreement” (Article 10.3).
Now life has become faster, and people are much more informed than before. And the situation with divorces has become much easier.
In front of me is a printed form with the following content: “So-and-so (F.I. written by hand) gives consent to so-and-so (F.I. in words) to marry a second time.” This is a church divorce. Below the short lines there is space for a signature and date. The form says nothing about children and fatherhood. Then the interested party must take the wedding certificate and this receipt to the Patriarchate. There they will put a seal, the papers will be handed over to the archives, and the union sanctified by God will be considered dissolved. A prayer of permission will be read for those wishing to enter into a second marriage. And you can immediately get married a second time.
The Constitution of Georgia recognizes church wedding, but in case of divorce, only those who were officially married have the right to divide property. Children born in a church marriage without official registration receive the mother's surname and have no right to the father's property unless he so wishes.
Apparently, church divorces today have reached such a number that the Patriarchate was forced to prepare appropriate forms. What can you do, divorces are the spirit of the times.
Every day a video is broadcast on TV with the call: “Fathers, remember your children!” Then there are dry lines of statistics for Georgia: “Every third father does not pay child support, every fifth is wanted.” This is only official data, and, as you know, many couples break up before they even reach the registry office. Moreover, all this is happening against the background of the fact that, as Archpriest George (Doreuli) says, “today nine out of ten people will say that they have their own confessor, and on holidays churches and monasteries cannot accommodate believers” (Karibche Magazine No. 6, 2011 .).
Quite a lot has been written about why there is now a pan-epidemic of divorce in the world. It is more interesting to analyze the divorces of church people, initially armed with the teachings of the Holy Fathers on how to deal with passions and rebellious flesh.
Story one
When 18-year-old Tengo and 32-year-old Eka - neighbors on the landing - began to travel to holy places, their mothers only rejoiced. Together, it is not dangerous and spiritually beneficial. The pilgrims returned home with enthusiastic stories. In Mtskheta we met an elder, in Shiomgvim we met a young monk, and so on... We went, of course, taking a blessing from our confessors.
The pilgrims confronted their parents with a fact: “We have just come from Svetitskhoveli. They got married there. We'll have a baby soon."
One fine day, the pilgrims confronted their parents with a fact: “We have just come from Svetitskhoveli. They got married there. We'll have a baby soon."
It’s easy to imagine what started here! Both mothers began to accuse the opposite side of seducing their child.
They shouted, made some noise, and then calmed down. Eka went to live with Tengo on rights legal wife. Soon a boy was born. After forty days, guests began to arrive with congratulations. Tengo's friends sympathized with him from the bottom of their hearts.
You're missing, brother.
Look at you and her...
And everything in the same spirit.
And the difference was really striking. Tall, athletically built Tengo with the face of a film actor and next to him is short, plump Eka with the most ordinary appearance.
Water, as you know, wears away stones. Tengo left home nervously. He began to temporarily live with a friend. Eka had to return to her apartment opposite, to her original position. The marriage broke up...
Tengo has been living in Russia for a long time, is successfully married, and has children. Eka still lives in the same building. He runs into his ex-mother-in-law on the stairs. My son is finishing school. The grandmother helps her grandson as much as she can. Still, native blood...
Story two
After the wedding, Koba and Tekle, glowing with joy, publicly shared their plans with those congratulating them.
We want us to have a real Christian marriage. We will give birth as many as God gives.
The parishioners nodded approvingly, exchanging comments about the external similarity of the newlyweds.
They look good together.
Koba a serious guy. What a school of life I went through! Out of him good father it will work out.
Koba is a refugee from Abkhazia, who managed to drink through war, and, however, eligible bachelor. Started a business from scratch in Tbilisi, opened sports section for boys, bought an apartment, now decided to get married. And most importantly, an active believer. Every Sunday he brings all his charges to the service, and on their knees they chant in unison “Mamao chveno” ( “Our Father” in Georgian - Note ed. ), so much so that the glass shakes. With boys he is strict, but fair. They listen to him right away.
Tekle is humble, you won’t hear too much. Like a shadow follows his bearded, stern husband.
And the general parish opinion delivered an encouraging verdict.
Everything will be fine for them.
A year later, their boy was born. Then - the second one. Every Sunday, hand in hand with his wife, Koba brought the kids to the Chalice. He also served as needed. A year later, a daughter was born. Outwardly everything was the same. Only Tekle had a kind of exhausted, disconnected look. One servant of God, looking sideways at the family, remarked:
Tekle, apparently, has reached the end of her rope. Having a baby every year, what kind of body can handle it? Where are Koba's eyes? We need to give a person rest.
Koba at that moment was scolding in rather harsh terms some boy who, upon entering the church, casually crossed himself.
It must be hard to live with him,” the observer continued. - Commanding in the army is good, but in the family the main thing is compromise.
Another year has passed. Koba's fourth child was born. Everything went as usual. Then suddenly a rumor spread: they separated. No one really knew the reason, only speculation. Moreover, all four children remained with their father.
This news gave rise to a lot of gossip, the general meaning of which was in one phrase: “And what was she missing?” The question remained unanswered. Then followed a church divorce in the Patriarchate according to all the rules.
This was about 10 years ago. Koba is still serving at the altar. His children have grown up. He did not marry the second time. What happened to Tekle is unknown. She never came to church again.
Story three
Towards Kostya, who had just been released from prison, the attitude in the parish was in advance condescending and compassionate: “Who doesn’t it happen to?” He was perceived not just as Kostya, but, first of all, as the son of the singer Irina. Sociable, cheerful, despite her limp, she traveled to services from Rustavi. If only, as she said, “sing to the Lord.” With all this, Irina was an Orthodox walking encyclopedia. She lived on a pension of 14 lari (this was under Shevardnadze) and alms collected in her mug.
Soon good news spread: Kostya was getting married on Sunday. Irina never tired of telling all the details to all her sympathizers.
The bride's confessor refuses to marry them. He says that Kostya was imprisoned, and now he is without work and without a home. Let life improve first, then get married
So lucky, so lucky! God sent a believing girl! It was probably our priests who begged me for consolation. ... They fell in love with each other at first sight. There’s just one problem: her confessor refuses to marry them. He says that Kostya was imprisoned several times, and now he is without work and without a home. Let him improve his life first, then get married. And who has it, this job? Half of Georgia is now unemployed. In general, without seeing, he disliked my son. Forgive him, Lord! Priests make mistakes too. My boy has a heart of gold. He loves her two daughters as if they were his own.
The listeners sighed sympathetically and offered their options.
As a result, we decided to get married with another priest and start new life on the territory of the newlyweds.
After the wedding, Kostya and Lena set a small table for several parishioners to celebrate the significant day. At first we went to services together. Then more apart. This also did not surprise anyone. Lena has a flexible schedule - she cleans “when called.” Kostya seems to have settled down to sell icons. Something went wrong with his work. He gave up one thing and took up another. And in the end it turned out that he was hanging on Lena’s neck.
Six months later they separated and did not appear in church again.
Story four
Lyudmila (Moscow):
I got married twice. I believe that there can be no divorce, and now I have two husbands. And then God will ask for both. I returned to my first husband after 15 years. This did not bring me female happiness. And it is unknown how it will end. A wedding is not only a ceremony, but also a Sacrament. It cannot be removed by someone's signature. And, like baptism, it has no retroactive effect. The second wedding is like a second baptism - just an extra cross. So it turns out that I am a harlot.
I struggle with my misogyny in every possible way. Yes, they are all selfish. This is the time now. But we must not offend them even in our thoughts. Otherwise my son will be insulted by my daughter-in-law. And I don't want that...
Story five
Here is another program from the “Ex-Wives Club” series with a story on the same topic.
40-year-old Nugzar, who lived in the monastery for five years, returned to the world. Soon he met 38-year-old Inga. The mutual sympathy that arose between them was so strong that both, at the very first meeting, began to tell each other their past lives. There was a lot in common here: the first unsuccessful marriage, disappointment in people and timid hope for a better future.
Inga Nugzar won over with his churchliness and knowledge of the Holy Fathers. This quality played a decisive role, and after the third date they decided to get married. Inga was not embarrassed that Nugzar did not have his own apartment, that he and his mother lived with his aunt. Material wealth is a matter of gain, the main thing is the person himself. After the wedding, they sold Inga’s apartment in Tbilisi and bought a house in the village, which the head of the family immediately registered in his name. Which also did not arouse suspicion in Inga, but how could it be otherwise? Soon scandals, jealousy, Nugzar's drunkenness and, as a result, beatings began. Inga endured, hoping that the birth of the expected child would change everything. Alas, little Barbara only worsened the situation, adding more financial problems to her non-working parents. The situation became tense, and Inga and the child had to go to a shelter for victims family troubles and from there fight for your rights. Nugzar and his mother remained in the living space they had won, not caring at all about the fate of their own daughter and granddaughter.
And there are many such stories.
And again the statistics. Every year, 3,900 children in Georgia are discharged from the maternity hospital with their mother's last name. A law was recently passed to protect the interests of such children born in unregistered marriages. Now a woman has the right through the court to demand establishment of paternity, and then payment of alimony if the DNA test turns out to be positive. The cost of the analysis (2000 GEL) in case of confirmation of paternity must be paid by the accused party. But the law does not consider cases where the father is chronically unemployed and does not have any real estate. And there are a lot of them too.
Maybe it’s worth giving some kind of trial period to those who want to get married, something like several months, so that people can decide how serious this relationship is. And during a church divorce, the problems of each married couple should be considered in detail.
COMMENTARY BY PRIEST PAVL GUMEROV,
rector of the temple under construction
in honor of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom in Maryino,
author of many books and articles about family life and raising children
All the above facts and stories in the material are very sad and are an illustration of the words of the Savior: “Because iniquity increases, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).
I have already spoken out on the topic of divorce in the church environment more than once, including on the pages of the portal, so I apologize in advance if I repeat myself. The author of the material on divorce (like all of us, by the way) is very concerned that Orthodox families, which twenty-five years ago set an example of strength and marital harmony, are now also undergoing a considerable crisis. I didn’t even imagine that in Georgia, a country where there have always been strong family foundations and values, everything is also very unfavorable. AND Russian Federation, and Georgia were once part of a single great country, where, despite an atheistic upbringing, people understood that family is a great value, it must be created with all responsibility and cherished throughout life. The state also pursued a pro-family policy. Family values were promoted and the family was provided with support and assistance. Divorce, on the contrary, was condemned. If people did get divorced, it was published in the newspaper, they could have troubles at work, and, in general, most of society condemned divorces.
It is very difficult for young people whose childhood was in a timeless period to build a family
We all know very well what happened after that. State, family, and moral foundations collapsed. Both here and in Georgia. The state has no time for the family. People have ceased to see family as the highest value. All this was aggravated by complete permissiveness and moral degradation. Everyone also remembers what was shown on TV, what was sold in stalls, what songs they listened to, what films they watched and filmed in the 90s. The number of divorces, broken families, street children was simply off the charts. But the saddest thing is that young people, whose childhood and adolescence were in a timeless period, are now finding it very difficult to create and build their own family. Most of them grew up in single-parent families (in complete families, parents also had no time for raising children, they just needed to survive), the children tasted the poisonous fruits of promiscuity and debauchery very early on. They saw very few examples of happy, strong families. Many, in general, have lost faith that family happiness is possible. Many people have the misconception that they can live without a family. It was then that the general fashion was established.
This trouble, of course, also affected Orthodox children and teenagers. Moreover, they do not live in isolation: everyone has TV, radio, and the Internet. Therefore, conflicts also occur in Orthodox families, family crises and divorces. But not because Christian family and moral values are outdated and no longer work, but because we have changed. We have succumbed to the spirit of the times, we don’t want to work on ourselves, work on our family life. If the Church simply tightens measures and makes church divorce a very difficult act, I think this will achieve nothing. Christian marriage (both now and in pre-revolutionary times) has two sides: spiritual and civil, legal. One does not exist without the other. Before the revolution, the Church dealt with both marriages and divorces. Now it's a state. We cannot refuse to give a person a divorce if his marriage, both de facto and de jure, no longer exists. Yes, there are countries, for example Italy, where it is very difficult to obtain a church divorce, but there it is also very difficult to obtain a secular divorce. Divorce proceedings Sometimes they go there for 5, 10 years.
I believe that for a Christian not to preserve an unmarried marriage is the same sin as to dissolve a union blessed in the church. After all, now there is a whole category of Orthodox people who, having registered their marriage, are in no hurry to get married. They live as if in a trial marriage, thinking that if they divorce now, they will commit a lesser sin than if they separate after the wedding. And, of course, such half-hearted, insincere relationships do not add strength to their union. This is all complete hypocrisy. After all, when the canons and rules about marriage were written, when families were created in pre-revolutionary Russia, they could not be anything other than married.
Male infantilism and irresponsibility are an alarming symptom of our time
Now a little about specific examples given in this material. Of course, it is difficult to draw any conclusions based on such brief information, but you can pay attention to several points. Some of the guys in the stories above married (or wanted to marry) much older women. Some did not want to work and feed their families. This is a very bright and characteristic touch. Male infantilism and irresponsibility are an alarming symptom of our time. A huge number of young people were raised by single mothers, who often fed, watered, pampered them, and solved all their problems for them. Often such a young man then looks for a new “mommy”, sometimes older than himself. In his mother’s family, he not only did not see a working man, but he himself was often freed from all work loads. It is quite natural that this continues in a new, own family.
Women lost shame and dignity and became very accessible. And it also destroys the family
Another reason for the fragility of modern, even church marriages is that future spouses begin creating a family with a very serious mistake, commit a great sin when they begin to live carnally life together even before marriage. Remember, in the first story: Tengo and Eka arrived from a trip and confronted their parents with the fact that they got married and were soon expecting a child. That is, as they say, they got married to catch up. A person who allows himself fornication before marriage will find it very difficult to remain faithful to his soul mate. This is a common problem that affects not only the male sex. Women lost shame and dignity and became very accessible. And this also destroys the family and pushes young people to commit sins before marriage and betrayal in family life.
But still, in conclusion, I would like to say that despite the frequent examples of all kinds of family problems and even divorces, including those listed here, the situation in church families is much better than in others. I was often approached by different people and different married couples in difficult family situations. So, in the overwhelming majority of cases, these were non-church people, or little churchgoers. Yes, and Orthodox families are overwhelmed by the waves of the sea of life, yes, and they are sucked in by the spirit of this age. But this does not mean that modern Orthodox family is no longer any different from the non-church.
For the sake of objectivity, let's turn to statistics. In Russia, for every 100 marriages, more than 50 divorces are registered. 80% of husbands, at least sometimes, cheat on their wives, 40% of children are born outside the family, more than 5 thousand mothers abandon their children in maternity hospitals every year, more than 4 million are born annually. Do you think this is all said about Orthodox, church-going people?
I think that we, modern Christians, despite any pressure and corrupting influence from the outside, need to constantly remember: who we are and what the Lord expects from us. We have been given a lot, but a lot will be asked of us. We must not give in to passions, not make excuses by saying that we live, they say, in difficult, corrupt times. And at what time, tell me, did the first Christians live, did the martyrs of the first three centuries live? They maintained faith and morality!
The most important thing is not to be lukewarm and lazy, then everything will work out and you will be able, with God’s help, to establish your family life and find family happiness.
Today, the sacrament of weddings is often distinguished by the fact that the couple who decides to take this step follows fashion rather than really wants to unite with each other in heaven. Obviously, this is why so many questions arise about how to get through the debunking of a church marriage.
Understanding Church Marriage
Before we analyze the concept of “debunking a church marriage,” we should understand what the essence of marriage itself is. The very first thing he pursues is love, teaching this feeling in the bosom of the family. In the church understanding, marriage is considered an ideal school of love. Also, a church marriage is a special blessing from God. Spouses can always count on help in difficult times for the family.
Of course, we all love it when we get married and want to get married. However, what does our love mean? Often it is pleasure of another person for the sake of one's own pleasure. “I feel good with him/her.” But the essence is a little different. Believers enter into church marriage to help each other in their spiritual life.
Today this concept has been distorted, and the sacrament of wedding has turned into a tribute to fashion. The man suddenly realized that this was beautiful and unusual (especially in the post-Soviet space). But the soul does not have that trepidation before entering married life, before the sacrament of wedding, before God. Apparently this is why there are so many divorces.
The sacrament of wedding as the beginning of married life under God's protection
Debunking a church marriage is a completely common procedure today. But we still need to consider how the two are connected loving people in the bosom of the church. It should be noted that the sacrament of wedding itself is a relatively young tradition and came to Rus' somewhere in the 15th-16th centuries. In Byzantium, this sacrament was the privilege of only rich people, and for the simpler class there was the blessing of the bishop and shared communion.
Today, there is an established wedding rite, which was formed in the 9th-10th centuries. And here you should understand that a new type of marriage has arisen - this is a union forever, even after death. Here the possibility of even thinking about another marriage ceased to exist. The man had unlimited faith in his union and did everything possible to preserve it. Of course, in our time everything is completely different, but this is the essence of the wedding.
The sacrament itself occurs after the betrothal of the future spouses. They must come to church with lit candles and stand in front of the lectern. The priest standing before them begins the ceremony by asking questions about the firmness of their intentions. If an affirmative answer is received, then the wedding continues. The couple is blessed, prayers are read, and crowns are placed on their heads. Then the prayers are read again, the spouses walk around the lectern three times following the priest.
It should be noted that weddings do not take place during Lent, Christmastide, Easter week, Tuesday and Thursday (Wednesday and Friday are considered fast days).
In what cases can you ask for the dissolution of a church marriage?
To dissolve a union, compelling reasons are required. Debunking a church marriage is possible in the following cases:
- betrayal of one of the spouses;
- marriage of one of the spouses;
- excommunication from Orthodoxy of one of the spouses;
- inability to have children in marriage;
- long absence of a spouse without news;
- mental illness of one of the spouses;
- danger or already committed violence in marriage against any of the spouses or children;
- strong addiction or dependence on alcohol or drugs, etc.
In general, this small list can be further supplemented, since situations vary.
How does this procedure happen?
Now let's look at the debunking of a church marriage, the procedure of which is not entirely common. There is no such thing as church divorce. You are simply given a blessing for a new wedding. However, they give it taking into account all the reasons why a previous marriage may be considered invalid.
The procedure is as follows. You need to submit a petition to the Diocesan Administration. In every city you can find a representative office where you can contact. For example, the debunking of a church marriage in Moscow can be carried out in the Novodevichy Convent. This is where you need to go to file your petition.
You will need documents to submit. First, take your passport, then your new marriage certificate. That is, re-wedding is possible when you have already sealed your new union with the seals of secular law. You must also take a certificate stating that your previous marriage has been dissolved. Presence of the second ex-spouse in case of divorce it is not at all necessary, because, as was said above, a blessing for remarriage is obtained.
After you have received permission, you can contact any temple with a request to marry you. But you should know that if both spouses have already been married in the past, then the sacrament will take place in the second order (crowns will not be laid). If one of the spouses has not been married before, then the ceremony takes place as usual.
However, you should know that re-entering into a church marriage is not very approved. Of course, it is taken into account that we are all not ideal, we have a large number of sins. There is only one case in which remarriage is less blameworthy. This is the death of a spouse.
Who can re-enter a church marriage?
Now you know how a church marriage is debunked. Only the spouse who is not guilty of the dissolution of the previous marriage can get married a second time. The one who was guilty of this can enter into a new union only after repentance and penance, which is imposed by the priest in accordance with the canons.
The wedding itself is no longer as solemn as the first time. For those planning to marry for the third time, a longer and stricter penance is established.
Conclusion
As you can see, debunking a church marriage is not a complicated procedure at all. However, before you decide to take this step, you should ask yourself the question: have you done everything to save your union? After all, marriage should not be a toy; you cannot first live with one person and then suddenly decide that he is not suitable for you. Keep family values, keep your word given before the altar. If it is not possible to live with this person and build a relationship, then apply for a divorce, justifying the reasons. If you find them very convincing, then you will get it.
Today, the wedding ceremony is very popular among young couples. It becomes more of a fashion statement than a deliberate and serious step. But then the moment comes when the spouses decide to divorce. They may reasonably ask whether there is a procedure for debunking, what rules there are, and how it happens.
You should get married only when you are completely confident in the correctness of your actions and trust your spouse. At the same time, it is necessary to weigh everything and approach this issue seriously. It is worth remembering that marriage in a church is a very serious step. It is not so easy to dissolve, unlike a union registered in the registry office. The Church has an extremely negative attitude towards divorce, which is why the dissolution of a church marriage as such does not occur. But she can give a blessing for remarriage, for which there must be appropriate reasons.
Reasons for the procedure for debunking a church marriage
In the Orthodox Church there are reasons why a dethronement can be carried out, or more precisely, consent can be given to the re-conclusion of a church union. The list of these reasons was established at the beginning of the 20th century, and was supplemented in 2000:
- The very first and most serious reason, according to the church, is treason (adultery).
- If one of the spouses has renounced the Orthodox faith.
- Remarriage of one or both spouses.
- Serious illness of the husband or wife (AIDS, syphilis, leprosy, etc.).
- Debunking is carried out when one of the spouses is considered missing and has been absent for more than five years.
- A death threat by a husband or wife directed towards the other spouse or their children.
- Serious and incurable mental illnesses in which one of the spouses is not aware of his actions and actions.
- If the spouse is engaged in pimping.
- The imprisonment of a husband or wife is also a valid reason for the dissolution of a church marriage.
- Inability to have children (infertility) on both the part of the woman and the man.
- Presence of drug and alcohol addiction. In this case, it is necessary to have medical documents confirming such dependence.
- An abortion that was performed without the knowledge of the husband can also serve as a reason for debunking.
- The presence of an unnatural vice in one of the spouses (homosexuality, bestiality, etc.).
How does the procedure for debunking a church marriage work?
How does the debunking process work? In order to receive a blessing for a second church marriage, it is necessary to submit a petition for disunion to the Diocese. You can find out how to do this in any church, where they will help you and answer all your questions. However, it must be remembered that the petition is submitted only after the divorce in the registry office.
But as such, the debunking procedure is not carried out and no documents are issued confirming the dissolution of the previous church marriage. In the Diocese, only a blessing is given for a second wedding.
The Church allows only three weddings; all subsequent marriages cannot be approved by the Orthodox Church.
What is necessary to receive the blessing of a second wedding ceremony besides a petition?
- Certificate of divorce from a previous marriage.
- Passport or identity document.
- A document confirming the conclusion of a new marriage.
- There are no reasons why the church can refuse a second wedding ceremony (marriage between spiritual and blood relatives and other reasons).
One of the spouses can file a petition. If you receive a blessing for your second wedding, you can go to any temple and get married.
If the reason for the marriage was infidelity, then in this case the blessing for re-wedding is given only to the spouse who is not the culprit of the divorce. If the second spouse (those responsible for the divorce) also wants to undergo a second wedding procedure, then he must fulfill penance (certain conditions), the duration of which cannot be foreseen in advance.
Before getting married a second time, you should be sure that the decision is correct. It’s better to wait a while and take a closer look at your new spouse to avoid another mistake.
The second wedding is somewhat different from the first ceremony. If the spouses have already been married in the past, then the wedding is held without laying crowns (by the second rite). But if one of the spouses is getting married for the first time, then the ceremony is carried out according to all the rules.
After concluding a second church marriage, you should take your family as seriously as possible and family values. It is necessary to take into account the mistakes of previous experience and try to avoid them in new relationships.
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