Question:
Answer:
Whether or not a Catholic should attend a particular wedding depends a great deal on the individual circumstances, as I explain in my article To Attend, or Not to Attend.
From your account, it sounds to me that your son’s marriage will be invalid. He has left the Catholic Church and is marrying a non-Christian. That probably means that he has not sought out the necessary dispensations a Catholic (even a former Catholic) must have to validly marry a non-Christian in a non-Catholic ceremony.
As his parent, you have a couple of important concerns to keep in mind when making your decision whether to attend this wedding:
- You undoubtedly will want to maintain some kind of relationship with your son and his new wife, which will be difficult if you refuse to attend his wedding.
- You also must witness to the importance of your Catholic Faith and not give the appearance of sanctioning your son’s choice to abandon his faith and his obligations as a Catholic.
I cannot presume to make this decision for you; I can only lay out the issues involved so that you can decide. If you need help in discerning the best course of action, I recommend that you ask your pastor or spiritual director for input.