The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-05-12
MIXED MARRIAGES AND
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Obligations Because of His Ir-
regular Conduct.

IGSuluF SOnuuCt.
In the last issue of the Catholic
Standard and Times, Philadelphia,
the following interesting article eX-
planning the attitude OF tie cnurch
on mixed marriages was published:
In view of the many foolish say
ings and wicked accusations being
made against Catholics, especially
with reference to the me 1e1nere"
decree, which puts the decree OF the
Council of Trent against claEdestine
marriages into force for the whole
Catholic world, Bishop Turner, of
Galloway, in Scotland, devoted a
large part of a recent pastoral to a
refutation Of misrepresentation of
the Catholic church in her marriage
regulations.
I'VE may remind those who ac-
cuse us of condemning Protestant
marriages." says the Bishop, that
the very contrary of that is the
truth. The church has expressly
declared that she does not refer to
the marriages of Protestants in the
Ne Temere' decree of 1908, but
freely accepts as lawful and valid
those marriages which Protestants
for themselves hold to be such. The
church's legislation applies to Catho-
lies only. But some one may object
that in the case of a mixed marriage
the decree brands the Protestant
party as an infamous person, living
in sin l reply that the decree con-
tains no such doctrine or insinuation
because it expressly excludes nom
! Catholics from it's purview; but it
distinctly declares that the Catholic
| party, who has violated the solemn
law for the celebration of marriages,
| is living in sin. The two conditions
are perfectly possible; one party may
be in absolute good faith, while the
other may be living in direct oppo-
sition to the dictates of his con-
| science. In saying so the church,
however, does not, as has been false
| ly stated by some of our traducers,
| release the Catholic from whatever
obligations he by his irregular con-
duct freely took upon himself to-
wards the non-Catholic party under
the civil law. He is legally married,
and the civil obligations thereby un-
dertaken certainly bind him until
the secular authority, whose sanction
alone he sought, is pleased to re-
lieve him, which | think is very un-
likely.
The State may frame it's own
laws, and can protect its own inter-
ests in the way it sees fit, but the
State has received no authority over
the administration of the sacra-
ments, and cannot control the con-
sciences of men. To say, therefore,
that so long as one has complied
with the prescriptions of the civil
law he has done all that is requir-
ed to make his marriage good may
be quite sufficient for non-Catholic
who does not acknowledge the
Catholic faith, but it is absolutely
insufficient for any one who pretends
to hold the faith of Catholic. The
| strong passion of the moment may
stifie conscience for a time, but that
conscience will awaken some day
and will not be silenced; because
the guilty one knows that while pro-
Tossing the faith with his lips, he
has denied it in his work. Neither
the Catholic doctrine of marriage,
nor the laws regulating it's celebra-
ton come into any collision with the
civil law, and no Catholic who
strictly obeys the laws of his church
will ever be found contravening the
laws of the State or injuring the
!
ut would perhaps be more profit
able for all non-Catholics to reflect
that in associating with a Catholic
who trifies with his own conscience
and tramples on the laws of his
church, they are plainly treating
with criminal; for ] leave it to the
judgment of impartial minds to say
what they think of any one who one
moment within the walls of the
Catholic church processes to believe
firmly whatsoever she believes, and
as firmly to hold her authority to be
sacred and divinely appointed to
teach and guide him in all things
spiritual, and the next moment, with
out even the least pretense of having
changed his belief, goes to a court
house or to Protestant church and
openly fiouts his faith and tramples
on the very authority which he pro-
fesses to revere most on earth. Sure
ly such conduct can scarcely be
| l. To-. I =