[presidio9]

not being catholic myself, i'm fairly ignorant of catholic laws. we made a compromise, the priest said "you're married" and signed the marriage license, so i believed him. in my Church (Assembly of God) that would have been accepted as being married.

The priest could also tell you you were the Pope, but it wouldn't make it true. As you had no intention of raising your children Catholic, he had no authority to marry you.

There are still some priests who offer Communion to politicians like John Kerry who are 100% pro-abortion. The Church's official policy on pro-abortion politicians is that they have excommunicated themselves. Priests who make their own rules are not speaking for the Church. You were never married to your wife in the eyes of the Catholic Church. On the plus side, your first wife was only guilty of fornication, not adultry.

[GoLightly]

Stepping in here. Unless there's been a change made since I went through this, the non-Catholic is not agreeing to raise the children Roman Catholic. The Church is not claiming to have any real authority over that partner. The Roman Catholic agrees to raise future children in the Church & the partner agrees not to interfere.

presidio9, you fail to take into account good faith. As long as either partner enters into the union with innocent intent regarding the faith the future children are going to be raised to follow, it is a marriage. The Church acted in good faith & assumes the Roman Catholic partner is doing so as well.

Let's say both partners were Roman Catholic & they were married by the Church. They fail to raise their children as Roman Catholic. The way the Church sees this marriage would be exactly the same as the one you've tried to say isn't a marriage. Unless or until there is an annulment, it's a marriage.