Fr Jim
My brother is divorced. Married previously in the Unitarian church.
He is now getting married again in the Unitarian church. He knows I am Catholic-and he is Catholic too, but has given up faith.
He also knows that I disapprove of this action. Can I attend and keep family unity? I don;t think it is a sin for me to go.
Hi Friend:
Thanks for your email.
I don’t see any reason not to go to the wedding, and in terms of the Church’s perspective, it’s definitely not sinful to attend the wedding. The only thing I would suggest say in regards to the ceremony is if they had some form of “communion,” you shouldn’t receive . I’m not very familiar with the Unitarian Church’s marriage ceremonies, but I would doubt that they would have communion of any kind.
As difficult as it is when we have relatives who make “bad” decisions, such as leaving the Catholic faith, it’s important for us to remember that they are still our relatives. I think the best hope you could have in one day welcoming him back to the Catholic Faith would start with just being a loving brother to him. And I would imagine your brother would want you, his brother to be at his wedding.
Hope that helps!
God Bless –
Fr Jim
