90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days Season 6 has finally introduced Meisha Johnson.
The hardcore convert to Catholicism plans to marry another ultra-orthodox Catholic, Nicola. He happens to be a 46-year-old virgin.
But Meisha is a divorcee. And, if she intends to hold a Catholic wedding with Nicola, she must first attain an annulment.
There’s no guarantee that the church will grant her one. And, if she gets her way, what will that mean for her daughters?
Meisha Johnson has a lot going on. Even for a 90 Day Fiance cast member.
The former TV journalist’s conversion to Catholicism involved vacuuming, a vision, and an apparent encounter with “evil forces.” In the form of a demonic road rage “Karen.”
She has now been an adherent of Catholicism, Christianity’s largest denomination, for over a decade. For the majority of that time, Meisha has looked at Nicola Kanaan as a religious mentor, a friend, and now as a future husband.
On Season 6, Episode 3, Meisha spoke to Nicola — ahead of their first meeting — about her hopes for an annulment.
There is no guarantee that the Catholic church will grant her petition for an annulment. The institution is pretty famous for several things, and one of them is a longstanding opposition to divorce.
An annulment within the church essentially says that Catholic authorities, upon viewing new information, consider the marriage to have never been valid.
Meisha asked Nicola what his thoughts might be if she does not receive the annulment. Without it, they could still marry — legally. But it would no be a Catholic wedding.
Nicola dismissed the idea altogether. And not only because he wants a Catholic ceremony in a Catholic church.
He said that marrying only because they love each other would “be sin” unless it is through the rites of Catholicism.
That is no real surprise. It was Nicola’s intense devotion to orthodoxy that drew Meisha to him in the first place.
But, as the episode aired, many fans and viewers began to wonder.
What would an annulment mean for Meisha’s daughters?
Morea is 19 years old. Svea is 17.
Across social media, a number of 90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days viewers had one question on Sunday night and early this week.
Will annulling Meisha’s marriage render these girls “illegitimate” in the eyes of the church?
We did some research (as did various fans, including Catholic and ex-Catholic social media users who watch the show) because, hey, that could be important. “Illegitimate” sounds like an antiquated way to refer to a child, but the Catholic church is a fairly ancient institution.
However, online resources (and statements from various Catholics and ex-Catholics on social media) share that this is not really a concept for children of an annulled marriage.
There’s a lot that goes into this, including questions of whether at least one member of the marriage was acting in good faith. But, simply put, children of an annulment can still receive communion, become priests, or hold Catholic weddings of their own.
That may be a somewhat moot point. It’s unclear if Morea or Svea are even Catholic. Remember, they’re in their late teens, and Meisha only converted about a decade ago.
In fact, during the episode, viewers did not get the impression that they share their mom’s beliefs. Morea and Svea sounded politely concerned about how Nicola would regard or judge them. But they also helped their mom pick some outfits for her trip.
If Meisha did respect their human rights, that could be very interesting to discuss at a Tell All in relation to another Tell All conversation about children’s rights and a parent’s faith from last May.