MIXED MARRIAGES

BASIC R.C. BELIEF

The Catholic Church has always differentiated between marriages of a Roman

Catholic to a baptized or unbaptized non-Catholic. Marriages to unbaptized

people weren't allowed; other non-Catholics had to sign a pre-nuptial

agreement.

POST VATICAN II

Regulations have been relaxed since Vatican II, and many progressive

priests do not even follow these. There is quite a variety in the way mixed

marriages are treated today, but the following are the actual Vatican

regulations:

(a) The pre-nuptial agreement is not necessary. The Roman Catholic party

must agree never to expose himself to the danger of losing his Faith, and

to see that the children are baptized, brought up as Catholics and receive

aids to salvation offered by the Church.

(b) If the marriage to a baptized non-Roman Catholic is contracted

without dispensation, it is valid but not licit. If the party is unbaptized

and no permission has been given, the marriage is invalid. However, a

dispensation from both these impediments may be had if the Roman Catholic

party agrees to conditions mentioned in the previous paragraph, and the non-

Roman Catholic party is informed of these promises either orally, in

writing, or before witnesses, according to the decision of the Bishop.

(c) The Protestant minister may give a short exhortation, but is not

supposed to participate in the actual ceremony. No religious ceremony

before or after the Roman Catholic sacrament (ceremony) is allowed.

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