All,
This is a semi-hypothetical question. Hopefully it will be purely hypothetical.
Here's the situation: My girlfriend of about a year and a half was baptized Catholic, raised in a non-practicing household, and attended a Protestant high school / college. She has essentially been practicing as a non-denominational Protestant for some time now, and never really was catechized in Catholicism.
After some life-shaking experiences, she is now attending RCIA (thanks be to God!!! :D ). She's a few weeks into it, and is responding fairly well to it. She still has some issues with some doctrines (such as the Real Presence), but has been continuing to attend, ask questions, and pray about things. I have real hopes for her conversion.
Here's the semi-hypothetical part of things. Before she was attending RCIA, I looked intently into the requirements for Catholic/Non-Catholic marriages. It then struck me that she doesn't technically fall into the category of "non-Catholic," at least as far as Canon Law is concerned (right?). There is no "baptized Catholic but switched-to-non-denominational" option on the paperwork provided by my diocese.
If, God forbid, she should drop out of RCIA, continue to practice as a Protestant, but consent to raising the children Catholic and follow Catholic sexual teachings (she was aware of and ok with all of the above even before RCIA), would this marriage even be possible? Is there some sort of extra paperwork and bishop approval required? Or is it impossible simply by virtue of the fact that she was baptized Catholic?
Thanks for any responses. And prayers are appreciated too :)
This is a semi-hypothetical question. Hopefully it will be purely hypothetical.
Here's the situation: My girlfriend of about a year and a half was baptized Catholic, raised in a non-practicing household, and attended a Protestant high school / college. She has essentially been practicing as a non-denominational Protestant for some time now, and never really was catechized in Catholicism.
After some life-shaking experiences, she is now attending RCIA (thanks be to God!!! :D ). She's a few weeks into it, and is responding fairly well to it. She still has some issues with some doctrines (such as the Real Presence), but has been continuing to attend, ask questions, and pray about things. I have real hopes for her conversion.
Here's the semi-hypothetical part of things. Before she was attending RCIA, I looked intently into the requirements for Catholic/Non-Catholic marriages. It then struck me that she doesn't technically fall into the category of "non-Catholic," at least as far as Canon Law is concerned (right?). There is no "baptized Catholic but switched-to-non-denominational" option on the paperwork provided by my diocese.
If, God forbid, she should drop out of RCIA, continue to practice as a Protestant, but consent to raising the children Catholic and follow Catholic sexual teachings (she was aware of and ok with all of the above even before RCIA), would this marriage even be possible? Is there some sort of extra paperwork and bishop approval required? Or is it impossible simply by virtue of the fact that she was baptized Catholic?
Thanks for any responses. And prayers are appreciated too :)