Who Can Co-Minister Catholic Weddings?

The Catholic Church has strict rules about who can officiate a wedding. For a Catholic wedding, the matrimonial covenant is a sacrament and must be performed by a priest, who acts as the official witness of the Church. The bride and groom are considered the ministers of the sacrament as they are the ones giving each other promises or vows and consent. A non-Catholic minister may be involved in a Catholic wedding inside the church with the permission of the bishop, but they cannot be involved in giving or renewing matrimonial consent.

A non-Catholic minister can be involved in a Catholic wedding with the bishop's permission

A non-Catholic minister may be invited to give additional prayers, blessings, or words of greeting or exhortation. If the marriage is not part of a Mass, the minister may also be invited to read a lesson and/or preach. However, only the Catholic minister may validly ask for and receive the consent of the parties in the name of the Church.

In the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament and therefore must be performed by a priest (the only ones authorised to administer any of the sacraments). Weddings were and still are very important events, affecting not only the lives of the spouses but also their families, communities, and future progeny. For that reason, in most cultures, weddings were and are public events requiring an official witness.

In the United States, the religious minister of a marriage is also the official witness for the state. In the Roman Catholic Church, the priest assists at the wedding. After the ceremony, he signs the civil marriage license, noting his title, name, the name of the Church where the wedding took place, and the date of the marriage.

A Catholic priest cannot officiate a non-Catholic wedding

Canon 1109 tells us that a Catholic cleric who has the authorization to assist at a Catholic wedding may do so for (a) his own subjects (the pastor of a parish can marry the members of his own parish) and (b) his non-subjects if at least one of the spouses is a Latin Catholic. Since non-Catholics cannot be the subjects of any Catholic cleric, it follows that he cannot marry them validly. If a cleric attempts to assist at the marriage of two non-Catholics, he would be committing the crime of pretending to administer a sacrament (c. 1379), which is a punishable offence.

A Catholic priest may only officiate a wedding if it is a Catholic ceremony. If a non-Catholic couple wants to have a Catholic wedding, they are out of luck. The only Catholic sacraments which non-Catholics may receive in certain circumstances are Penance, the Eucharist, and the Anointing of the Sick.

If a Catholic wants a non-Catholic wedding, they must obtain a dispensation from canonical form. This would allow them to marry in a non-Catholic ceremony that would still be considered valid by the Catholic Church.

A Catholic cannot be ordained as a minister in another faith

The Catechism states that "Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders" (1578). Therefore, only bishops as successors to the apostles can validly ordain and should confer Holy Orders solely upon those men who have shown the qualities and virtues of an ordained minister and have been suitably prepared for their vocation. This usually involves at least five years of discernment and formation.

Seeking ordination outside of the Catholic Church is a rejection of the Church's teachings on valid ordination and the sacrament, as they are closely connected and often directly rely on the priest or deacon's ministry. The significance of Holy Orders in the Catholic faith means that a Catholic may not seek ordination in another church, even if it is solely to officiate at a wedding.

To become ordained in another church or faith community would involve entering into some degree of communion with that church or religious society, and this would break communion with the Catholic Church. While it is possible to be reconciled with the Church if one has sought ordination outside of it without understanding the gravity of this action, it is still a serious matter.

In summary, a Catholic cannot be ordained as a minister in another faith because it would be a denial of the Catholic Church's teachings on ordination and the sacrament, and it would break communion with the Catholic Church.

A lay Catholic can preside over a civil wedding under certain conditions

In the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament and therefore must be performed by a priest, bishop, or deacon. However, in the case of a lack of priests or deacons, a diocesan bishop can delegate laypersons to assist at marriages with the previous favourable vote of the conference of bishops and after obtaining permission from the Holy See. This means that, while a lay Catholic cannot officiate a wedding of a couple if at least one of them was baptised Catholic, they may be able to preside over a civil wedding between non-Catholics.

It is important to note that a Catholic cannot obtain "ordination" from a mail-order or online "ordination" mill, even if their state recognises marriages performed by individuals with such "ordinations". Additionally, a lay Catholic should not accept "ordination" in a non-Catholic church as it is invalid and gives the appearance of joining and ministering in a non-Catholic church.

In the case of a Catholic wishing to marry a non-Catholic, it may be possible to obtain a dispensation from canonical form under certain circumstances. For example, if the non-Catholic's father is a minister who wishes to officiate at the wedding of their child, a dispensation can be obtained from the Catholic party's bishop in advance, and the Catholic Church will still recognise the marriage as valid.

The bride and groom are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage

In a Catholic wedding, the bride and groom are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage. This is because they are the ones exchanging vows and giving each other consent to enter into a covenant union. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

> "According to Latin tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ’s grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church." (CCC 1623)

During the ceremony, the priest asks the couple to stand facing each other and exchange their vows, symbolizing their consent to enter into a lifelong union. This is considered the most important part of a Catholic wedding ceremony.

It is worth noting that, while the bride and groom are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage, the presence of a priest or deacon is still required to preside over the celebration. The priest or deacon receives the couple's consent in the name of the Church. When the Sacrament of Marriage takes place during Mass, a priest or bishop is the main celebrant for the ceremony.

In the case of a mixed marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic, a non-Catholic minister may be involved in the Catholic wedding with the permission of the bishop. They can give additional prayers, blessings, or words of greeting but cannot ask for or receive the consent of the parties in the name of the Church.

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