When the “Church” is Too Small to Save You: Marriage, Annulments, and the Sedevacantist Trap

One of the most heartbreaking realities I’ve encountered in recent years is the growing number of souls caught in a spiritual trap—those who, in their zeal for tradition, have cut themselves off from the very Church that Christ established for their salvation.

Among the many tragic consequences of this path is the confusion and ruin that it brings to the sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Let’s take, as a case study, a man who identifies as a devout traditional Catholic. He believes the popes since Pius XII are all invalid, the bishops are false, and the sacraments of the post-Vatican II Church are null. He only attends one of a handful of “faithful” sedevacantist chapels—which, depending on your branch of sedevacantism, may number in the dozens worldwide… or less.

Now, this man has been married three times.

Each time, he believes he has entered into a valid union. But he also believes that the entire hierarchy of the Catholic Church is illegitimate. He cannot, therefore, appeal to a diocesan tribunal. He cannot submit to the judgment of a canonically erected marriage tribunal under a valid bishop. He cannot obtain a declaration of nullity—because in his view, no such tribunal validly exists.

What, then, is he to do?

In the sedevacantist worldview, he has two equally tragic options:

1. Pretend that annulments aren’t necessary, and declare each marriage “valid” based on his own judgment—or that of a sympathetic layman or fringe cleric without jurisdiction.

2. Remain in a state of doubt and potential mortal sin, unsure whether he is actually married to his current wife, or committing adultery with her while bound to a former spouse.

This is not a hypothetical. This is a pastoral tragedy. A man who considers himself faithful to the Church has, through pride and error, placed himself in a position where he cannot validly resolve his marital situation. He cannot know with certainty whether he is living in a state of grace. And what’s worse—he teaches others to do the same.

This is the cost of the sedevacantist illusion.

And compounding the tragedy is a fundamental misunderstanding of marriage itself. There are those—especially among lay traditionalists—who wrongly assume that only Catholic marriages are valid. So, for instance, they believe that a marriage between two Protestants, or a Protestant and a secular person, is “not valid in the eyes of the Church.” This is simply false.

In fact, the Catholic Church recognizes most non-Catholic marriages as valid natural marriages—and between two baptized non-Catholics, even as sacramental. Validity does not require Catholic form unless one or both parties are Catholic. For Catholics, proper form (i.e., before a priest and two witnesses) is required. But for non-Catholics, the Church presumes validity unless there is clear evidence otherwise.

So if a man was married outside the Church—say, twice—and now believes those marriages “don’t count” simply because they weren’t Catholic, he is gravely mistaken. The Church would presume those prior bonds are valid and binding unless and until a competent tribunal declares otherwise. Which, again, in the sedevacantist system, does not exist.

Thus, he has painted himself into a spiritual corner: no Church, no tribunal, no annulments, and possibly no valid marriage now—just a web of assumptions and self-certifications with eternal consequences.

The very Church that Christ founded to guide, shepherd, and absolve sinners is now seen as a counterfeit. The sacraments that are supposed to heal and restore are declared invalid. The authority to bind and loose is rejected. And the faithful—ironically—are left spiritually abandoned.

All the while, the sedevacantist insists: “I’m being faithful.”

But faithfulness without obedience is not faithfulness. Zeal without jurisdiction is not order. And sacraments without valid ministers are not sacraments at all.

To be clear: annulments are not a loophole. They are a judicial recognition, by the lawful authority of the Church, that a marriage was never valid in the first place. They require investigation, witnesses, and moral certainty. They cannot be self-administered or assumed. Without a Church to declare nullity, the faithful are left adrift.

For those trapped in this cycle—especially those who have married and remarried without any real possibility of valid annulments—my heart breaks. You are not being led by the Good Shepherd. You are being led by strangers, and they have left you outside the sheepfold.

The solution is not to cling tighter to a collapsing structure of man-made authority. The solution is to return—humbly, prayerfully, courageously—to the Church Christ established. She may be bruised, scandalized, and wounded by her members. But she remains His spotless Bride, the only ark of salvation.

If you find yourself in this situation—unsure of your marriage, unsure of your standing with God—do not stay isolated. Reach out to a faithful priest. Seek reconciliation. Come home to the Church. The Sacrament of Confession is real. The annulment process, though imperfect, is merciful. Christ is waiting.

Don’t let pride keep you from grace. Don’t let ideology keep you from the sacraments. And don’t let fear keep you from the joy of knowing your soul is right with God.

There is a way back. And it begins with trust—not in yourself, but in Christ’s promise to remain with His Church, always, even to the end of the age.