The Catholic Church teaches that a valid, consummated sacramental marriage between two baptized persons is indissoluble — it cannot be dissolved by any human authority, including the Church. This is based on Jesus' own words: 'What God has joined together, no human being must separate' (Matthew 19:6). A civil divorce, while sometimes necessary for legal or safety reasons, does not end the marriage bond in God's eyes. A divorced Catholic who has not remarried remains in full communion with the Church and may receive the sacraments. However, a Catholic who remarries civilly without an annulment is considered to be living in an objectively adulterous situation and is ordinarily unable to receive Holy Communion. An annulment (declaration of nullity) is not a 'Catholic divorce' but a finding by a Church tribunal that a valid marriage never existed due to some essential defect at the time of consent. If an annulment is granted, both parties are free to marry in the Church.