Faith as a condition for sacramental marriage

Abstract

“It takes a great deal of courage to get married in the age we are living in.” Pope Francis made this declaration only a few months ago. It came from a Pope who is dedicating most of his Pontificate to the family and particularly to families in difficulties, whom he refers to as “fragile”. At the same time, he consistently inspires hope. His point of departure is actual reality, crude as it can be, and thereon he offers a transcendental opening which is beyond the capabilities of humankind alone. In this particular case, his starting point is those people who seek the sacrament of marriage, coming from different “faith” situations: some actively participate in the life of the parish; others approach the Church for the first time; some even follow a strong prayer life. On the other hand, others are guided by a more generic religious sentiment; and at times there are those who are distant from the faith, or who lack it completely. Conscious of the fragile situation of these Catholics who lack faith and approach marriage, this dissertation sets out to examine the relevant knowledge and the possibility of clarifying their personal situation, as well as their position in the Church. Chapter 1, entitled “Marriage as a Natural Institution and a Sacrament”, deals very briefly with the theology of the sacraments and the sacramentality of the Church. It also offers an overview of marriage as a natural institution and as a sacrament. This leads to a more detailed examination of Canon 1055, CIC/1983 which is the real springboard for the main theme under discussion. Chapter 2 reviews in detail the most important official Church documents that were published over the last forty years on the topic of faith/sacramentality and the sacrament of marriage. These documents carry different authorative weight but they trace the development of thought on the subject. Of greater importance is the fact that some of these documents reveal the inclination of the individual Pontiffs on this matter. Chapter 3 discusses our topic as found in canonical doctrine. In this Chapter, the most important topics are analyzed in detail. The great divide is whether faith is required or not, for the valid celebration of the sacrament of marriage between two Christians. In addition to this, there is also a critique of the various solutions provided. Chapter 4 provides an exposition of a number of rotal decisions. To render them more actual a brief history of each case is presented. The sentences chosen were intended to offer a panorama of the different grounds used in the Ecclesiastical Tribunal to examine particular cases connected with the sacramentality of marriage. In Chapter 5, as concluding chapter, the various arguments presented in the course of this dissertation are brought up and critically analyzed, and a number of recommendations are presented.