The canons (1019-1034) associated with the marriage preparation in the 1917 Code are found in chapter I under the title De iis quae matrimonii celebrationi praemitti debent et praesertim de publicationibus matrimonialibus459 in book III De rebus, part I De Sacramentis, title IV De Matrimonio. Canons (cc. 1012-18), which immediately preceded it deal with the general canonical and theological nature of marriage. However the last canon in those introductory canons (cc. 1012-1018) cannot escape our attention as far as pastoral care for marriage preparation in 1917 code is concerned. Canon 1018 obliged the pastor of souls to instruct his parishioners on the sacramentality of marriage and the impediments associated with it460. As the title denotes, pastoral care for marriage preparation in the 1917 CIC was essentially consigned to those things which need to be done before prospective couples can be permitted to marry validly or lawfully in the Church, drawing particular attention to the marriage banns461
459 “The preliminary acts that must precede the celebration of marriage especially the marriage banns”
. This legacy was emphasised especially in the tone of canon 1019 §1, which expresses grave admonition that the pastor must be morally certain (constare debet) that
460 Thomas Doyle, “The canonical foundations for Pre-marriage preparations Guidelines”, in Marriage Studies I (1980), p.66.
461 Cf. James Provost, „Marriage Peparation in the New Code: Canon 1063 and the novus Habitus Mentis, in:
Studies in Canon Law presented to P.J.M Huizing, ed. J.H. Provost and K. Walf, Leuven University Press, 1991, p.174; Gavin, Pastoral Care in Marriage Preparation, p. 24.
prospective spouses are capable of valid and licit marriage (cf. c.1019 §1)462. He must remain resolute to determine that nothing stands in the way or prevents a valid marriage. The purpose of the investigation is to be certain that a) the spouses are not bedevilled with impediments b) that the spouses are consenting to marriage freely and willingly, that it is not due to any external pressure or a circumstance, and c) to see that the parties have sufficient knowledge of Christian doctrine463. This canon paved the way for the seriousness of the investigation as stated in the canon to follow. Canon 1020 insists that the responsibility for the conducting of the investigation rests with the parish priest who has the mandate to assist at the marriage of his faithful. This responsibility remains absolute even if another person is delegated to assist.
The investigation to ensure the validity and the licitness of the marriage celebration means that marriagemust at all cost be preceded by the publication of banns. It is also to take place before the parties are instructed in the Christian doctrines on marriage. This means that it is only after a successful conclusion of the canonical investigation to determine the free state of prospective couples is the parish priest obliged to instruct the prospective spouses on the nature of Christian marriage.
We also mentioned the publication of banns as the part of the demands of canon 1019 §1. The canons on the banns (1022-1030) have taken more than half of the canons under this section464. It ranges from the obligation of the parish priest to make the names of the spouses, the way and the manner in which the banns should be published in relation to time and space, to the assembling of documents and the elapse of three days after the publication of the banns465
462 “Antequam matrimonium celebretur, constare debet nihil eius validate ac licitae celebrationi obsistere”
. Canons (1031, 1032, 1034) deal with the procedure in doubtful marriages. These are the marriages, for which the parish priest should consult with the ordinary. “The procedure to be followed if a doubt arises is set out in canon 1031. If, after further investigation, a doubt continues to exist, the parish priest must consult the ordinary before assisting at the marriage.
If on the other hand, he actually discovers an impediment he must, if it is occult, refer the matter to the local ordinary or to the sacred penitentiary while withholding the names. If the impediment is public he must not proceed with the banns until the impediment is removed. If it is discovered after the first or second publication, he should continue the publications while referring the matter to the ordinary. The particular case of the marriage of vagi, that is, of persons with no fixed abode is dealt with in canon 1032. A parish priest is not to assist at the
463 Cf. Provost, marriage preparation, p.175; Gavin, Pastoral Care in Marriage Preparation, 24ff; F.X. Wernz – P. Vidal, Ius Canonicum, vol. V, Ius Matrimoniale, editio tertia, Apud Universitatis Gregorianae, Romae, 1946, pp. 143- 144; S. Congregatio de Disciplina Sacramentorum, instruction Sacrosanctum, 29 June, 1941: AAS 33 (1941), p.301.
464 Cf. Provost, marriage preparation, p.174f; Ulrich Mosiek, Kirchliches Eherecht, unter Berücksichtigung der nachkonziliaren Rechtslage, Verlag Rombach, Freiburg, 1972, pp.97-100.
465 Cf. Hartmut Zapp, „Eheversprechen, Vorbereitung der Eheschließung, Trauungsverbote“, in Grundriss des nachkonziliaren Kirchrechts, Joseph Listl, Hubert Müller, Heribert Schmitz (Hsgr.), Verlag Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg, 1980, p.553: Nach Beendigung des Aufgebots kann die Eheschließung nach drei Tage stattfinden, wenn weiter alle erforderlichen Urkunden vorliegen.
persons who are vagi without the permission of the ordinary or a priest delegated by him”466. The only canon among the 15 canons mentioned above refers to the particular instruction of the pastor to the couple before the celebration of marriage is found in canon 1033. It is clear from the above that in the pastoral care for marriage preparation great emphasis is placed on ensuring the validity and licit celebration of marriage. However, we did also mention two canons that at least are of interest to us as far as pastoral care for marriage preparation is concerned in the 1917 code. These are c.1018 on general instructions and c.1033 on the particular instructions in which the parish priest is obliged to tell his people about the necessary and essential elements of marriage. In spite of this, the parish priest is admonished to instruct the people regarding the sacrament of matrimony and its impediments. This general canon 1018 also does not specify when and how the instruction should be carried out and details of the content are not given467. However, it is presumed that this general instruction is to be taken in the context of canon 1332, which obliges parish priests to hold a catechetical instruction for adults on Sundays and holydays of obligation, and canon 1334, which actually imposes obligation on parish priests to announce the word of God in the customary homily468. Although catechism in Sunday mass and homilies may not be the appropriate places to effectively instruct prospective couples on the sacrament of marriage, the code envisages that the content of the instruction should be directed towards the nature of marriage, its beautiful elevation to the dignity of a sacrament by the Lord himself, and the graces that accompany its fruitful celebration. It must also show the jurisdiction of the Church on marriage, the necessity of her laws, the primary purpose of marriage as procreation, and the sin and social plague of birth prevention. Furthermore, the instruction must ensure the mutual help of husband and wife, marriage as a state of consecration to duty and to God, Christian example as the best antidote for the prevalent vices against marriage, Catholic education of children and the impediments, especially that of mixed religion469
466 Gavin, Pastoral Care in Marriage Preparation, p.28.
. Again, as far as a proper pastoral care for marriage preparation is concerned, those provisions in canon 1018 do not suffice because the obligation in the canon in certain respects is one of the normal and moral duties of any parish
467 Cf. ibid.
468 Ibid
469 T.L. Bouscaren – A.C. Ellis, Canon Law: a Text and Commentary, Milwaukee, 19552 , p.465; Carl Holböck, Handbuch des Kirchenrechts, p.621: „Die Belehrung soll sich vor allem auf das Sakrament der Ehe erstrecken, auf ihr Wesen, ihre Zwecke, ihre Eigenschaften und die Gnaden, welche sie vermittelt. Die Behandlung des Wesens der Ehe wird immer wieder Gelegenheit bieten, über die Pflichten der Eheleute untereinander und den Kindern gegenüber zu sprechen, über die rechte Gattenwahl, über die rechte Vorbereitung der Ehe durch wirtschaftliche Sicherung der Grundlagen der Familie, über die Form der Eheschließung und über die
standesamtliche Eheschließung. Es wird sich Gelegenheit bieten, zu warnen vor jeder Herabwürdigung der Ehe zu bloßen Sinnengegenuss, vor der Ehescheidung, vor Beschränkung der Kinderzahl und vor der
Vernachlässigung der Erziehung. Auch über die wichtigsten Ehehindernisse wird der Pfarrer gelegentlich zu sprechen haben. Diese allgemeine Eheunterweisung muss in kluger Weise erteilt werden, damit sie keinen Anlass zu Angriffen gegen die Kirche biete. Sie soll allen Gläubigen erteilt werden. Sie kann erteilt werden in der Jugendseelsorge, in der Schule, in der Christenlehre, in der Predigt. Besonderen Anlass zur Eheunterweisung bietet die Brautprüfung. Doch ist an dieser Stelle die Rede von der allgemeinen, nicht aber von dieser
besonderen Unterweisung über die Ehe“.
priest to educate his faithful on the Christian doctrines and this does not in any way require
“extra special” attention of the listeners.
Moreover, Canon 1033 on the other hand deals with the particular instruction to be given.
This particular instruction must be directed towards the prospective spouse in a face-to-face manner with the parish priest who is to instruct them in such a way that they will receive the sacrament of matrimony in a pious and worthy manner. The instruction is to ensure that the spouses may live out their future marriage life in a Christian fashion as opposed to the pagan marriages. Furthermore, the content of the instruction to the spouses is foreseen to include the sanctity of the sacrament, the mutual obligation of married people and the duties of parents towards their children470. Jones also suggested that the prospective couple must also be taught to avoid Onanismus and in some cases the obligation of observing the weaning period of the mother (Stillepflicht der Mutter) in the marriage471. Though the canon did mention specific times when the personal instruction should occur, Gavin observes that the referral of canon 1019 to “antequam matrimonium celebretur and canon 1020 §1 to Parochus … opportune ante tempore (assistendi matrimonio) diligenter investiget” suggest that the instruction should take place well before the celebration of the marriage472. The suggestion of Gavin and other commentators that the instruction should not be deferred to the days just before the wedding (as a kind of addendum or obnoxious necessity) but that it should rather take place immediately before the proclamation of the banns or at least before the period of the banns has elapsed473
The addendum to c.1033 addresses itself to the spiritual preparation of the prospective spouses. It is recommended that the parish priest must exhort the parties to receive the sacraments of penance and holy Eucharist before the celebration of the marriage. This admonition becomes necessary because marriage is a sacrament of the Church and to receive it one must be worthy and be in the state of grace. However, the lack of these of sacraments do not make the celebration of the marriage illegal or invalid since it is only a strong exhortation rather than a rule. According to Jones, the parish priest can demand that the prospective spouses must receive absolution especially in cases where its omission would cause public scandal. For instance, if it is known publicly that the man was living in concubinage or did not fulfil his Easter obligation
might seem to be a more possible solution to the timeframe. Nevertheless, it is not clearly untenable if enough time could have been available between the investigations or the banns and the actual date of the wedding for the priest to have allowed any composite instruction.
474.
470 Doyle, Canonical foundations, p.72; Holböck, Handbuch des Kirchenrechts, p.632.
471 Cf. Heribert Jone, Gesetzbuch der lateinischen Kirche, Zweite, vermehrte und verbesserte Auflage, Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn, 1952, p.253.
472 Gavin, Pastoral Care in Marriage Preparation, p.32.
473Cf. Doyle, Canonical foundations, p.72; Gavin, Pastoral Care in Marriage Preparation, p.32.
474 Cf. Jone, Gesetzbuch, p.253.