IC̅ XC̅ NIKA ☦
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Can an Orthodox Christian marry a non-Orthodox? A father's answer
What the video says
An Orthodox Christian whose son's mother is not religious and whom he has not married in the church answers whether an Orthodox Christian can marry a non-Orthodox person. The church allows marriage with a Christian baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but not with someone who is not baptized. Living together without a church marriage is a sin that bars communion.
He recalls his village priest giving him communion once, then telling him not to come again until married, which hurt but was correct. After confessing everything to his spiritual father, who knows his partner and her heart, he received a blessing to receive communion again while he works through the situation. He warns against shopping for a priest who says yes, and cites Saint Peter's words that people can be won without a word by how we live.
Key moments
- The church can marry an Orthodox Christian to another Christian baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but not to someone who is not baptized.
- A couple living together without a church marriage cannot receive communion, because it is a sin.
- His village priest, who has known him since childhood, gave him communion once and then told him not to come again until he is married.
- He stopped receiving communion until he found a spiritual father and confessed everything in his first confession.
- He will not force his partner to be baptized, because faith cannot be forced; he wants to show her by how he lives as his life changes.
- His spiritual father, who knows her and her heart, gave him a blessing to receive communion again while he works through the situation.
- He warns listeners not to look for a priest who says yes, but to be honest with the priest who knows them and accept what he says.
- He cites Saint Peter: people can be won without a word, just by how we live, and asks if anyone is in a relationship like his.
A man whose son's mother is not religious and whom he has not married in the church answers whether an Orthodox Christian can marry a non-Orthodox person. The church, he says, can marry an Orthodox Christian to another Christian baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but not to someone who is not baptized.
A couple living together without a church marriage commits a sin that bars them from communion. He recalls that his village priest, who has known him since childhood, gave him communion once and then told him not to come again until he is married. That hurt, he says, but it was correct. He stopped receiving communion until he found a spiritual father and confessed everything in his first confession.
That spiritual father knows his partner and her heart, and gave him a blessing to receive communion again while he works through the situation. He says he will not force his partner to be baptized, because faith cannot be forced; he wants to show her by how he lives as his life changes. He warns listeners against looking for a priest who says yes, and urges them instead to be honest with the priest who knows them and accept what he says.
He cites Saint Peter's words that people can be won without a word, just by how we live. He closes by asking whether anyone is in a relationship like his.
Main points
- The church can marry an Orthodox Christian to a Christian baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but not to someone who is not baptized.
- Living together without a church marriage is a sin that bars communion.
- His village priest gave him communion once, then told him not to come again until he is married.
- After his first confession, a spiritual father who knows his partner gave him a blessing to receive communion while he works through the situation.
- He warns against seeking a priest who says yes and cites Saint Peter: people can be won without a word by how we live.