Non-Catholics need an annulment before validly marrying a Catholic in the church. But divorced Catholics are not allowed to remarry until their earlier marriage has been nullified. If a Catholic has remarried civilly but not had their earlier marriage annulled, they are not allowed to receive communion.

Can a divorced Catholic dating?

Without an annulment, a divorced person is presumed to be validly married unless or until a Church tribunal determines otherwise. They avoid dating the divorced out of respect for the institution of marriage.

How often are annulments denied in the Catholic Church?

Almost half of Catholic marriages end in divorce, the same rate as for other Americans. Of those who applied in 1992 in the United States, according to Vatican statistics, 83 percent received annulments and 2 percent were denied. Fifteen percent of the cases were abandoned by the applicants.