What is the status of a divorced Catholic?
This is a commonly misunderstood issue. Because the Church does not recognize civil divorce as terminating a bond of marriage (but only as terminating the civil effects of marriage), the Church regards divorced people as only separated from their former spouses. In the eyes of the church, these people are not free to remarry. However, a divorced Catholic who has not remarried is free to participate fully in the sacramental life of the Church (including Eucharist and Penance/Reconciliation). It is only when a divorced person remarries without some resolution, in the Catholic Church, of a prior bond of marriage that participation in the sacraments is not permitted.
