Sleeping With Your Wife After Traditional Marriage Without Church Wedding Is A Sin” — Catholic Priest

A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Prince Chidi Philip, has stirred conversation online after urging Christians, particularly Catholics, to follow up their traditional marriage with a proper Church wedding, insisting the two are not interchangeable.

In a Facebook post, the priest made clear where he stands on the matter, regardless of how the message might be received. “As a Catholic priest, this is one point I will continue to insist on, even if it makes some people uncomfortable,” he wrote.

Philip stressed that traditional marriage should never be treated as the final stage of the marriage process for Christians. “If you are a Christian, especially a Catholic, you should not stop at traditional marriage.

After your traditional marriage, you should proceed to the Church for your Church wedding,” he said, adding that he’s troubled by how many young Christians appear to be skipping this step altogether.

He went further, stating that couples who have only completed their traditional marriage are expected to abstain from sexual relations until the union has been blessed by the Church, describing anything short of that as “still considered a mortal sin.”

Addressing concerns about cost, Philip pointed out that a Church wedding is largely affordable and can even be held during a morning Mass, requiring only that couples approach their parish priest and complete the necessary preparations.

He closed by reminding Catholics that Church marriage carries weight beyond tradition. “It is a serious obligation to have your marriage properly celebrated according to the law of the Church,” he said.