Yes, he should have known that. Like I said, even if it was a man and a woman married out of the church in a civil ceremony only, the same would apply. What may be happening here is that they will complain that they can’t marry in the Church, so the next step will be to go after the Church to allow them to marry in the Church. I sense that is what this is all about.
A divorced and remarry Catholic is legally married, but the Church does not recognize a divorce decree as valid. Two men may be legally married but the Church does not recognize the marriage as bali. What is it so hard for these guys to understand the obvious?