Topic: Is marriage with a non-Catholic a sacrament if they are baptized incorrectly?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: December 14, 2002

Moderator who originally posted this source: Mary Pat Fourqurean

Question:   Marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic is a sacrament, right?  What if the non-Catholic’s baptism turns out to be invalid (due to incorrect form, or something)? Would he have to be re-baptized in order for the marriage to be a sacrament?  If so, what if he doesn’t belong to any other church anymore, attends only the Catholic church, but is not ready to be Catholic?

Answer: 

Dear Patty,

Thank you for your question. "Marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic is a sacrament" for sure, but only if it was performed in a Catholic manner, that is, usually in a Catholic Church by a Catholic priest (or deacon). See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1621, 1630-1631. It would not be a sacrament if performed by a judge in a civil court of law, unwitnessed by a priest or deacon, nor would it be a sacrament if performed by a Protestant minister in a Protestant church. This is simply because both Protestants and civil courts do not believe that marriage is a sacrament. Only Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that marriage is a sacrament. This does not mean that the Catholic priest or deacon marries the couple; no, they marry themselves (section 1623), and thus the priest or deacon serve only as a witness, but an important witness who connects the marriage to the Church and through the Church connects the couple to God.

It is extremely rare for the non-Catholic's baptism to turn out to be invalid because of something as trite as form. The intent matters to the Catholic Church far more than its form, and if the intent was to be washed from original sin and commit to Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church is usually content to accept the non-Catholic's baptism. It is thus extremely rare for the Catholic Church to ask for re-baptism. (The Catholic Church accepted my husband's Protestant baptisms, even though he was baptized as a Protestant infant and then re-baptized as a Protestant adult. The form, time, manner or even number of baptisms were irrelevant compared to the fact of being baptized or not. And if the non-Catholic is not ready to be a Catholic, the marriage would be called a "mixed marriage" (see sections 1633-1636 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church) and would be sacramental, given the conditions I mentioned above. Hope this helps. Mary Pat Fourqurean.