The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-05 00:00:00

MIXED MARRIAGES.

"floe Much Interested " mites to At: Times:—

The following fact may be not only "new," but in-
teresting to many of your readers; and attention being
called thereto in your influential columns may lead to
a remedy being found for what must lead to evil in its
tendency.
Arrangement had lately to he made for the marriage
of a lady (Protestant) with a Catholic gentleman, and,
of course, it was desired that the ceremony should take
place both in a Catholic church, and after wards in a
Protestant church.
In the Protestant church, of course, no difficulty'
was found; but on applying to the Catholic minister,
he was perfectly willing to celebrate the marriage
ceremony, conditionally that both parties promised to be
contented with the Catholic ceremony, and would not
have the Protestant ceremony performed either before
or after. . _

Of course protestation was made against such & de-
cision, and reference made to many previous prece-
dents, but the priest said that such were the orders
from Archbishop Manning; he was personally very
sorry, but could not help himself ; his instructions
were not to celebrate a marriage in a Catholic church
when the same parties had been, or were to he, married
in syrotestant church.
. . . . _

-
Why such an order or regulation ebould be made I
cannot underetand, and I think the sooner it is can-
celled the bettsr it will be. In the meantime, what is
the remedy
''Veetigla Nana Retrorsuni '' also writes :

I saw with much satisfaction a letter in The Times
calling public attention to the alteration in the prac-
tice of the Roman Catholic clergy in England with
respect to mixed marriages. We all know that up
to a recent period it was the practice VI celebrate
such marriages in both Churches. Your corre-
spondent, "One Much Interested," complains that
a Roman Catholic priest lately declined to marry a
Protestant lady to a Roman Catholic geutleman
except upon the condition that both parties promised
to be content with the Roman Catholic ceremony,
and not to have the Protestant ceremony performed
either before or after. I can supplement your corm.
pandent's letter, and, I think, show him that the Pro-
testant lady in his case WM fortunate if this was the
only condition exacted. In the ease of a mixed mar-
riage which recently occurred in my own fami'y the
Roman Catholic priest required, as a condition pre-
cedent to his forwarding the application for a dispensa-
tion allowing the mixed mart isge, that the Protestant
lady should sign an undertaking—first, that the mar-
riage ceremony should be solemnized by a Roman
Catholic priest only; secondly, that all the children,
girls as well as well as boys, should be brought up as
Roman Catholics ; thirdly, that the Protestant lady
should not attempt to interfere with or exercise any in-
fluence over the lithaan Catholic husband in the pm-
, ties of his religion.
To the regret, but not to the surprise, of her family,
this undertaking was signed by the lady. As to its
legality or morality I shall say nothing, but its policy
is transparent. I think it right that every Protestant
lady who is likely to form an attachment to a Roman
Catholic gentleman should know that his Church will
use her affection for him as an ecclesiastical thumb-
screw; and that the attention of the public should be
called to the fact that in social matters, as well an in
the political world, the Roman Catholic Courch—or,
at all events, the Ultramontane part of it—h reborn-
* the escrow-minted and aggreebive policy of a by-
gone age, and this moreover, at a tune when more
libemi and enlighten. d views are daily evidenced in
our own Church and law with regard to that Christi-
anity which • or ought to be cOl2lOlOll alike to Roman
Catholic ao taut.

The appoia talent of Mr. Plimsoll's Commission was
guested on Tuesday night.