Posted on 04/27/2013 2:48:00 AM PDT by markomalley
THE future of Roman Catholic weddings in England and Wales is now in doubt because of David Cameron’s gay marriage bill, the church’s chief legal adviser on the issue has disclosed.
Prof Christopher McCrudden said that there are serious questions over whether the 120-year-old legal basis on which 8,500 Catholic weddings a year are performed can even “survive” the passage of the bill currently before Parliament.
He told MPs and peers that, unless urgent changes are made, Catholic bishops may have to reconsider whether priests can carry on performing weddings, in effect, on behalf of the state.
The barrister said his advice to senior bishops is that proposed protections for churches against legal challenges under human rights or equalities laws for refusing to marry gay couples completely overlook the position of Catholics and other denominations.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
snip
The problem, he said, is that under a system in place since 1895, Catholic priests act as an “authorised person” to marry couples in place of a registrar.
Given the decline in church weddings, this may be the path to reinvigorating the Sacrament of Matrimony. People often gravitate towards an event that separates them from the masses. Essentially, adopting the French model may prove to be a blessing.
I have seen this approach peddled before.
I am 100 percent opposed to it.
If the state has control, they can very simply say that Catholic marriages will no longer be recognized, and deny recognition of anyone who is married in the Catholic church.
Is that really what I want. I am despairing here. I am an unmarried Catholic, seriously considering marrying. :(
It makes me very, very sad to see good and well meaning Catholics coming forward and saying that this is something that they want, when it has no affect on their marriage, but destroys ours. :(
That is why in France the weddings is done in front of the JP than once that is done, the church wedding can take place. Both are seperate ceromonies.
Why not have God-approved covenant marriages performed by the church, and ungodly marriages performed by the godless state?
I think having a state wedding and then a private religios ceramony is the answer
The government is now turning on the Christian churches. Catholic hospitals are being forced to supply birth control, soon ministers and priests who refuse to conduct weddings according to state mandates will face “hate” speech laws.
It’s coming and it’s coming fast. Fascism.
Disagree with that - the understanding under the common (and not civil), is that the priests do have the right to marry under the state and such marriages are recognised as legitimate under the government.
I don’t want the French system here.
Why have the government interpose? It’s not the government that creates marriage - marriage predates the government.
Really? You want your children to have something different then you yourself had?
This is bad. No. I don’t want a civil marriage. I want a real church wedding. If I wanted a civil marraige I’d just go down to Vegas.
It is costing me a lot of time and money to do things right the first time. Now you’re telling me that it counts for nothing. :(
Exactly. This is bait and switch. Make it so that church weddings are no longer recognized, then quietly shut the door.
.....And so is revolt.
But the sad reality is that the French way of practice could very well come here.
Well, then, have a real Church wedding.
This changes nothing in that regard. In the eyes of the Church, you are married with the real Church wedding.
You can consider going to the JP just a licensing thing. To get the State to acknowledge what has already happened in truth.
You married Mark?
If if was good enough for you - why are you changing it for us?
Why isn’t it good enough that we get the *exact* same thing you had?
“But the sad reality is that the French way of practice could very well come here.”
This is a fatal compromise that will sell everything away with a stroke. :(
No. and Hell No.
Apparently it’s not a real marriage when only the priest does it!
You need to get with the times, Dr. Sivana.
If if was good enough for you - why are you changing it for us?
Actually, I was married in Turkey (to another American btw).
The religious sacrament is completely separated from the state procedure (for the state procedure, we went into a magistrate's office and signed some papers and got the license).
And, btw, that's the way anybody who was stationed in Turkey got married. American, Brit, or otherwise.
It seems to have worked well for my wife and myself for the past 24 years.
And, btw, my previous wife (who passed away) and I also had separate State and religious (sacramental) ceremonies, as well.
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