Why Can Valid Marriages Between Unbaptized People Be Dissolved?

The fact that a natural marriage (as opposed to a sacramental marriage) can be dissolved is attested to by the fact that the Old Testament permitted divorce and that St. Paul permitted a baptized Christian to remarry if divorced by an unbaptized pagan (1 Cor. 7:10-15).

Given the examples of Scripture and the words of Jesus, the Church teaches that a sacramental marriage is indissoluble but that a natural marriage is not. However, the marriage vows are taken very seriously and the Church will only dissolve a natural marriage for the reasons given by St. Paul.