The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-09
BETROTHALS TO
Be IN WRITING
IS POPE'S ED|CT
Radical Papal Message Read in
~ All of the Local Catholic
Churches Yesterday.
ssENGAGEMENTS SHOULD
BE IN LEGAL FORM
Bishop O'COnnor Rules Church
Will Hold Marriages Not Au-
thOrized by Priests Void.

AIN all the Catholic churches yesterday
anedict issued by Pope Plus X, relat-
ing to marriages and betrothals was
read, its,knain feature relating to the
writteR acknowledgement between CON
traetiEg parties. before two witnesses.
This radical change. is to prevent a
man milking known to the church his
engagement to one woman, and then to
choose another. The church will not
recognize his change unless with the
consent of the woman first acknowl-
edged. This will have-the effect prac-
tically of. a ban onAthe breaking of en-
~gagements.
Another rule issued on behalf of the
Holy Sec, by the Right Rev. John J.
o'Conner, bishop of the diocese'of New
ark, was that any marriage performed
by one not an authorized priest would
be considered null and void by the
church. and further that marriages
5nust be performed by priests of the
parish in which one of the. contracting
parties reside.
America is a missionary country and
as the foundation of the church be-
comes more substantial the entire rules
governing the church in other coun-
VIII 81 INV lOi1V itClCs ooS :
Bishop O'Connor in his letter. He says
in part;
Death-Bed weddings Alone Excepted.
THE most important enactment of
the new marriage law and the one
which is most necessary for all
Catholics to understand is contained in
J article 3 of the decree. On and after
Easter Sunday of this year no Catholic
gamble validity or truly married unless
before a duly authorized priest or
bishop The only exceptions to this
rule are in the case of death bed mar
riages, at which, under certain corr
d~itfons. any priest may validity assist
teven though he be not duly authorized
for the valid celebration of marriage),
and in the extraordinary circumstances
in which for a full month the parties
desiring to be married n find a
duly authorized priest. This provision
of the law applies not only in a case
of a marriage of one Catholic to an
other Catholic. but also in the cases OF
what are called mixed marriages.
when one of the parties is a Catholic
and the other party is not a Catholic.
Any Catholic who goes to a Protestant
minister or to a civil magistrate to be
married will not only commit a %grevious
sin, but will render such attempted
marriage absolutely null and void.
.It is, also of the highest Importance
20 both priest and people to bear in
mind what is meant by "a duly author
lied priest Within the limits of his
own. parish any one of the parochial
clergy, whether rector of the parish or
regularly appointed assistant is a duly
sauthorized priest in relation 10 the
valid celebration Of marriage. But out,
side the limits of his W parish no
priest, whether rector or assistant, is
a duly authorized priest for the valid
celebration Of marriage, unless he is
delegated for that purpose by the par
fh priest of the parish in which the
marriage takes place, sor by the ordl-
nary of the diocese in which the mar
, nage takes place.
Hitherto in this diocese a priest
might go into a parish othec than ms
own and assist validity at a marriage
without any delegation from the parish
priest Of that parish, or even against
his wishes. Such conduct was improp-
er, but the marriage was not on h a
account invalid