Divorce and Remarriage

[bwallace23350]

In the ACNA the Bishops has to give permission for a member to be remarried. This is not too hard for a second marriage but is a whole lot tougher for a third marriage. I am not sure what would happen if someone went against the church and go married without the Bishops permission. Some in the ACNA still have annulments but those are outliers. I don't like annulments and find them against the patristic consensus. Remarriage is a grace extended by the church. We will receive someone who is remarried before entering the church though and recognize the marriage. What is the Orthodox practice?

 

[Ainnir]

I know we don't do annulments. I'm not sure sure who gives permission for remarriage.

 

[hecma925]

My priest said the bishop gives the blessing for remarriages.

 

[RaphaCam]

The Church Fathers were very diverse in their take on marriage and many made a clear distinction between dissolving marriages that shouldn't have existed in the first place (e.g. incest or kidnapping) and marriages that were polluted later (e.g. through fornication).

 

[JTLoganville]

There are also the "5 'A's " to consider:

Adultery
Abuse
Abandonment
Addiction
Apostacy

 

[bwallace23350]

The Church Fathers were very diverse in their take on marriage and many made a clear distinction between dissolving marriages that shouldn't have existed in the first place (e.g. incest or kidnapping) and marriages that were polluted later (e.g. through fornication).

I can't remember which council now. Maybe the 6th council or the council of Truollo that set the penance for divorce and remarriage.

 

[bwallace23350]

But as a general rule are not the Orthodox open at least to tolerating and allowing for penance for a second marriage?

 

[Asteriktos]

For an overview of certain aspects of the Russian approach, see Section X of the following document (especially X.3)

Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church » Background Information » OrthodoxEurope.org

Regarding the past, as Raphacam mentioned there was a wide variety. Here are a couple pages from a book about the practices of medieval Slavs...

 

[Averoff]

In centuries past people did not live as long, early deaths from diseases and accidents were common. A person might be marriage 'eligible' several times in their adult years. With that in mind I think Churches were more open to multiple marriages, there were more than a few widows and widowers in a congregation at any one time. It didn't make sense for them to live alone if a spouse was available from the congregation.

Today when divorce is the major reason for marriages ending it's a little trickier. How many times is the Church willing to consider a divorcee as an innocent victim? I would think most Churches might allow one divorce and remarriage for a congregant, but if the second marriage ends that way the Priest might be more hesitant to marry that person again. I'm sure in that case it would be elevated to the Bishop for his sanction.

As for a person married multiple times before joining the Orthodox Church, that's kind if a don't ask, don't tell situation. With that said, folks divorced and remarried several times are unlikely to join an Orthodox Church because of it's conservative views on those topics, IMO.

 

[IreneOlinyk]

Grounds for Divorce: Greek Orthodox Church:

Divorce - St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Seattle, WA

In accordance with Church Canon Law, an Ecclesiastical Divorce is granted only under certain circumstances In accordance with the 21 November 1973 encyclical of His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, a divorce is given and considered valid, when a marriage is entered into by

force, blackmail or false reasons.

one or both parties is guilty of adultery.

one party is proven to be mad, insane or suffers from a social disease which was not disclosed to the spouse prior to the marriage.

one party has conspired against the life of the spouse.

one party is imprisoned for more than seven years.

one party abandons the other for more than three years without approval.

one partner should be absent from home without the other's approval, except in in stances when the latter is assured that such absence is due to psycho-neurotic illness.

one partner forces the other to engage in illicit affairs with others.

one partner does not fulfill the responsibilities of marriage, or when it is medically proven that one party is physically impotent or as the result of a social venereal disease.

one partner is an addict, thereby creating undue economic hardship.

 

[IreneOlinyk]

Reasons for Dissolution of Marriage: Russian Orthodox Church
https://web.archive.org/web/20150319222628/http://eadiocese.org/Court/en.reasonsdissolution.htm

The Holy Council of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1917-18 recognized as being legitimate the following reasons for dissolution of a marriage sanctified by the Church:

- apostasy from Orthodoxy

- adultery and unnatural vices

- incapacity for marital cohabitation

- affliction by leprosy or syphilis

- unknown absence

- jail sentence with deprivation of rights

- infringement upon the life and health of spouse and children

- incest or prostitution of spouse

- entering into a new marriage

- serious, incurable mental illness

- intentional desertion