Newt Gingrich converted to catholicism

[DMB]

I just caught up with this bit of "news" http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-26/the-audacity-of-poping/

The article gently suggests that charges of hypocrisy could be levelled both at Gingrich and the RCC.

But IMO this is nothing new at all for the RCC. It offers the get-out-of-jail card of confession and absolution, so long as you genuinely repent, even if you are repenting of something you did five minutes ago.

[Ray Moscow]

Speaking of the RCC:

Early Alarm for Church on Abusers in the Clergy (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/us/03church.html?_r=1&hpw)
The founder of a Roman Catholic religious order that ran retreat centers for troubled priests warned American bishops in forceful letters dating back to 1952 that pedophiles should be removed from the priesthood because they could not be cured.

Of course he was ignored for 50 years.

I just don't understand how anyone with even an average moral sense could join the Catholic Church.

[Zebulon]

I just don't understand how anyone with even an average moral sense could join the Catholic Church.

I thought we were talking about Newt? ;)

[tjakey]

There's a match made in heaven, Newt Gingrich and the Pope.

[ofro]

I could have sworn that this was an April Fool's joke.

[lpetrich]

I read the news story, and it's apparently because his wife is a serious Catholic. That she is his third wife does not seem to bother either of them, despite that Church teaching that divorce is a no-no.

NG had been a Baptist, but what happened wasn't like him thinking it over and deciding that the Baptist Church was a heretical church that had strayed from the One True Church, the Church Founded By Jesus Christ Himself.

[Goodchild]

I read the news story, and it's apparently because his wife is a serious Catholic. That she is his third wife does not seem to bother either of them, despite that Church teaching that divorce is a no-no.

Unless he receives an annulment from the Catholic Church on both of those previous marriages then their marriage is not considered valid and sacramental and neither he nor his wife should be allowed communion.

[lpetrich]

Unless he receives an annulment from the Catholic Church on both of those previous marriages then their marriage is not considered valid and sacramental and neither he nor his wife should be allowed communion.
Yes, annulments, a.k.a. Catholic divorces.

The church finds that some marriage never really existed and that the couple had been "living together" the whole time. Sheesh.

[Cheetah]

Unless his first two marriages were held in a Catholic Church, he has no need of an annulment, nor even a divorce, in the eyes of the Vatican.

[lpetrich]

They were likely not, since he had been a Baptist rather than a Catholic back then. But what you are saying is that it is a Catholic marriage that requires a Catholic divorce, er, annulment.

Yes, I know that Catholic apologists maintain that an annulment is not really a Catholic divorce, but in practice, it's hard to distinguish from one.

[Goodchild]

Unless his first two marriages were held in a Catholic Church, he has no need of an annulment, nor even a divorce, in the eyes of the Vatican.

Incorrect.

The catholic church recognizes secular and religious marriages by non-catholics as valid. If a baptist and an atheist married in a lutheran church then later divorced and one converted to catholicism, the catholic church would still require a decree of nullity before recognizing a new marriage as valid and sacramental.

I'm very familiar with this nonsense, as I went through a good deal of it when I was still married to my second wife and considering returning to the catholic church (neither marriage was made while I was catholic).

As i've found since, it doesn't matter for Newtie anyway. His first wife died, freeing him from that marriage bond and the catholic church has already issued a decree of nullity from his second wife due to the fact that she (and him, technically) was previously married so their marriage was invalid due to that fact.

[Goodchild]

But what you are saying is that it is a Catholic marriage that requires a Catholic divorce, er, annulment.

Yes, I know that Catholic apologists maintain that an annulment is not really a Catholic divorce, but in practice, it's hard to distinguish from one.

As I said above, any marriage requires an annulment for the catholic church to recognize a succeeding marriage or allow one to take place in the catholic church. It doesn't matter what kind of church it took place in nor the faith of the celebrants.

The difference between a divorce and a decree of nullity is that the first states that a marriage has been dissolved while the second states that a valid marriage never took place.

[DMB]

The CoE does occasionally do similar fiddling with the facts. Our eldest daughter had a civil marriage that was dissolved in the civil courts. A little while ago, she wanted a CofE marriage and had to go through the Archbishop of Canterbury to get approval, but it was OKed on the grounds that she had not been married in church so her previous marriage didn't count.

[Cheetah]

But what you are saying is that it is a Catholic marriage that requires a Catholic divorce, er, annulment.

Yes, I know that Catholic apologists maintain that an annulment is not really a Catholic divorce, but in practice, it's hard to distinguish from one.

As I said above, any marriage requires an annulment for the catholic church to recognize a succeeding marriage or allow one to take place in the catholic church. It doesn't matter what kind of church it took place in nor the faith of the celebrants.

The difference between a divorce and a decree of nullity is that the first states that a marriage has been dissolved while the second states that a valid marriage never took place.

I know from personal knowledge that they don't apply that everywhere. Catholic bishops have been known to do similar tinkering to that which DMB describes.

[Ray Moscow]

Unless his first two marriages were held in a Catholic Church, he has no need of an annulment, nor even a divorce, in the eyes of the Vatican.

Actually, they do. Non-RC Christain marriage still has to be annulled.