I wasn't a Catholic when I married my first husband. Why do I need an annulment?

Question:
I am a baptized Lutheran. I had a justice of the peace marriage to my high school sweetheart when I was 17. It was a terrible marriage. We divorced by the time I was 19. I have been married to my present Catholic husband for the past 15 years. We were married outside of the Catholic Church because of my previous wedding and divorce.
I now want to become a Catholic.
Since I am not Catholic yet, and I was not a Catholic when I got married at 17, do I need an annulment?

Answer:
Yes. The Catholic Church recognizes marriages of non-Catholics as valid in Catholic church law. So even though you are divorced from your first husband, the Catholic Church still considers you husband and wife.
That is why you would need an annulment of your first marriage. If the annulment is granted, you would be free to marry the Catholic man you are now civilly married to in the Catholic Church. Once that happens you are then able to become a member of the Church.
Every divorced person has the right to petition for an annulment. I would encourage you to do so.