Wedding is one of the seven church sacraments. Orthodox people embark on this great cause when they want to testify of their relationship to God and receive a blessing for living together, giving birth and raising children. But, unfortunately, some church marriages break up and people may have a question regarding the possibility of a second wedding.
Scripture clearly states that what God combines cannot be separated by man. In the sacrament of the holy wedding, the newlyweds become one and form a family. People are given divine grace to help them in family life. However, it is not always possible to maintain the integrity of the marriage. There are partings to which the Church treats poorly. If the couples break up, because they did not agree on the characters or the partner has ceased to satisfy in bed, then there is no possibility of a second wedding in the future.
And yet the Church descends to human weaknesses. There are regulations that indicate permission to re-wedding in individual cases. But only the ruling bishop gives permission for a second church marriage.
So, remarriage is permissible, for example, at the death of one of the spouses. The apostle Paul says that you can get married, but still it is better to remain a widow or widower. If the first family ties were broken due to treason and one side did not forgive the other, then this is a reason for divorce. Second marriage may be authorized by the bishop. Chronic alcoholism, drug addiction, mental disorder, HIV infection and syphilis can be considered legal obstacles to divorce. A second wedding may also be permissible with the blessing of the archpastor.
In practice, there are other cases of permission for a second marriage. But all of them are accepted by the ruling bishop of the diocese (a specific church area). If the latter is permitted, the Church allows a person a second wedding.
