My friend asked me a question, which I am passing on to you, as I do not know the answer. She was baptized and married in a Protestant Christian Church. I told her she would need to be re-baptized in order to convert to Coptic Christianity, as her baptism is not considered valid in the Oriental Orthodox communion. Her question is whether her marriage is considered valid. She is in the process of a legal divorce and wants to know if she converts to Coptic Christianity, what her marital status will be? Will she be eligible for the marriage sacrament in the Coptic Church or not if she converts and gets a legal divorce?
The answer
The Church will never impose divorce on any married couple despite differences in worship practices established before the conversion of one of the spouses. If she is planning to convert, she should have a confession father. The reason for seeking a divorce should not be because she wishes to convert or because her husband is not Orthodox. Also, if she is going though a divorce, she must present proof of her divorce according to the rules of her current denomination, as well as the dissolution of the marriage in the civil courts.
