Saint Frances Cabrini Parish

Father Kleppner - July 23, 2000

Just recently someone asked me about a particular marriage ceremony. They said they were present at a marriage ceremony between a Catholic and a non-Catholic in a non-Catholic Church with a protestant minister witnessing the ceremony. They were told, by the family of the Catholic, that this marriage was also valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church because they had received a dispensation from the bishop. Can this be true? The answer to that question is "yes".
To understand why this can happen it is necessary for us to understand some things about how the Church views marriage. In the Church of the Latin Rite the couple confers the Sacrament of Matrimony on each other and the priest or deacon is the official witness to that sacrament. He does not confer that sacrament. The couple confers that sacrament on each other. Like all sacraments, the Sacrament of Matrimony has matter and form. For example, the matter of the Eucharist is bread and wine and the form is the words of consecration. In the Sacrament of Baptism the matter is water and the form is the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." In marriage the matter of the sacrament is the consent of the couple to give themselves to each other freely and for life as husband and wife. The form of that sacrament is the official witness of the priest or deacon and two other witnesses. In 1970 Pope Paul VI issued a decree entitled, Matrimonia Mixta. His decree spoke about the situation of mixed marriages and it authorized local bishops to dispense from the observance of the form of marriage for mixed marriages when grave difficulties stand in the way of its observance. For a dispensation from Canonical Form to be granted, that is permission for a protestant minister or a rabbi to be the official witness of the marriage, grave obstacles must stand in the way of the observance of the Canonical Form. While it is impossible to provide a exhaustive listing of all possible obstacles to the observance of Canonical Form the following have been suggested as legitimate pastoral reasons:

To achieve family harmony or to avoid family alienation.

To obtain parental agreement to the marriage.

To recognize the significant claims of the relationship or special friendship with a non-Catholic minister.

To permit the marriage in a church that has particular importance to the non-Catholic.

Once the dispensation from the Canonical Form has been granted and a protestant minister or a rabbi is the official witness to the marriage. A priest may or may not be present when that marriage takes place. It is not necessary for the priest to be present for the marriage to be valid when the bishop has granted the dispensation from Canonical Form. Even if a priest is present it is the protestant minister or rabbi who is the official witness and they must receive the vows. It is not permissible for the priest to receive the vows from the Catholic spouse and the minister or rabbi to receive the vows from the non-Catholic. When this dispensation is granted however all the other requirements of the Catholic Church must be fulfilled. That is:

The couple must take the approved marriage classes and be adequately prepared.

They must fill out all the paper work required by the Catholic Church concerning their intentions about and freedom for marriage.

The Catholic party must declare his/her intention to keep practicing the Catholic faith and to do all in his or her power to share that faith by having their children baptized and reared as Catholics.

The non-Catholic party is to be informed at the appropriate time about the promise, which the Catholic party is to make in such a way that it is certain that he or she is truly aware of the promise and obligation of the Catholic party.

For Eastern Catholics, e.g., Byzantines, Maronites, etc. the blessing of the couple by the priest is an integral part of the celebration of marriage and in ordinary circumstances necessary for validity. Thus, the authority to dispense Eastern Catholics from the obligation of observing the Canonical Form or the "sacred rite" is "reserved to the Apostolic See or patriarch who will not grant it except for a most grave reason." The congregation for the Eastern churches has granted the Apostolic Nuncio in Washington, D.C. the faculty to dispense from Canonical Form mixed marriages involving an Eastern Rite Catholic. Nevertheless, a most grave reason is still necessary for this dispensation to be granted.
Another question I often get with regard to marriage is why some marriages take place within the context of a Mass and other marriages are celebrated without a Mass. Regarding this issue the norms of the Church and our diocese are as follows. When a marriage is between two baptized Catholics, unless for serious reason, the marriage should be celebrated within the context of the Mass. When a marriage takes place between a Catholic and another baptized Christian i.e., Protestant, the ceremony should take place outside the context of a Mass. However, the local bishop can permit these marriages to be celebrated within the context of the Eucharist for serious reasons. Marriages between Catholics and un-baptized persons e.g., Jews and Muslims are always to be celebrated outside the Mass and according to the special rite provided for these situations. The reason that celebrating marriage within the context of the Mass is discouraged in marriages between Catholics and Protestants and un-baptized persons is because of the awkwardness, confusion, and misunderstandings that can arise from the Catholic Church's discipline on the Eucharist which would bar non-Catholic spouses and their families from the reception of the Eucharist. Hence, especially at the time of marriage we want to emphasize those things which unite us as opposed to those things that still do divide us.
I hope my reflections have answered some of the most common questions I get regarding marriage these days.

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Father Kleppner - July 23, 2000

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St. Frances Cabrini Parish