The wedding is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. Orthodox people begin this great work when they want to testify to their relationship before God and receive a blessing for living together, having and raising children. But, unfortunately, some church marriages break up and people may face a question regarding the possibility of a second wedding.
The Holy Scriptures clearly declare that what is combined by God cannot be separated by man. In the sacrament of a holy wedding, the newlyweds become one and form a family. Divine grace is given to people to help them in family life. However, it is not always possible to preserve the integrity of the marriage. There are partings that the Church treats badly. If couples break up because they did not agree in character or the partner has ceased to satisfy in bed, then there is no possibility of a re-wedding in the future.
And yet the Church descends to human weakness. There are decrees that indicate the permission of re-wedding on individual occasions. But only the ruling bishop gives permission for a second church marriage.
So, remarriage is permissible, for example, upon the death of one of the spouses. The Apostle Paul says that you can get married, but it is still better to remain a widow or widower. If the first family ties were destroyed due to treason and one side did not forgive the other, then this is a reason for divorce. Remarriage may be authorized by the bishop. Chronic alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, HIV infection and syphilis can be considered legal barriers to divorce. A re-wedding can 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 (specific church region). In the case of the latter's permission, the Church allows a person a second wedding.
