The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-08-16
PRIESTS DENY RUMOR
OF MARRIAGE EDICT
IN CATHOLIC PAPER
lFron Thursdav,s Adverti.er.l


Father valentin s attention was
called yesterday to the fact that st.
Louis Catholic publication quotes the
Acta, the Vaticans official organ, as
authority for the following statement:
'Protestants wishing to marry
Catholics need no longer sign an
agreement to rear the children result
ing from the marriage in the Roman
Catholic faith. Neither will they be
obliged to pledge themselves to refrain
from interfering with the Catholic
consort's performances of religious du-
ties. The change was brought about
by the repeal by Pope Plus of that por.
ton of the decree Ne Temere and
becomes effective at once.
The "Ne Temere'' was decree
issued by Pope Plus at Easter, 1908,
which obliged every Protestant wish
ing to marry a Catholic to sign an
ante nuptial promise before the priest
who was to perform the marriage cere-
mony.
Father Valentin stated that he had
heard of the article in question and
that it's publication had aroused con-
siderable comment among local Catho-
lies. He did not hesitate to say that,
in his opinion. there was absolutely no
truth in the report.
81 read the Acta regularly re-
marked Father Nalentin, "but so far
/ have failed to find anything of the
kind within its pages. The report is
undoubtedly a canard and is on the
face of it, ridiculous. 1t has been sug-
gested that we challenge the truth of
the article.
Interesting light if thrown on the
matter by an editorial in the current
number of America, leading Catholic
review, which reads as follows:
"The statement in secular journals
on the alleged authority of a priest
that the Holy Father has withdrawn
the requirement, in the case of mixed
marriages, that the nonCatholic party
promise to have the children baptized
and brought up Catholics, is without
foundation. On the contrary, a decree
of June 81 has reiterated the necessity
of exacting these guarantees as an in
dispensable condition for the validity
of the marriage.
"The misunderstanding probably
has arisen from another decree, issued
on the same date, relating to Ethe spe
cial circumstances attaching to certain
districts chiefly in Austria-whert
on certain occasions and for the avoid
ance of greater evils, when the con
tracing parties refused the guar
antees, the Holy See formerly permit
ted at times the merely material pres
ence of the parish priest, by way of ex
ceptlon, and as the extreme limits o.
tolerance
"The decree permits that in tn,
same places and under the same cir
cumstanees, the former condition ma.
still obtain; but in such cases the con
ditions prescribed by Gregory XIV,
must be strictly observed. THE par
ish priest can assist at such marriage
by material presence only and withou
any Observation-Disclosures
"This concession only applies to tn
places for which it is given, as is mad
clear by the rescript of Gregory XVI
to which the decree refers.
"That the exaction of the guaran
tees prescribed by Ne Temerere TO
mixed marriages applies to the who'll
Catholic world, these few localities ex
cepted, is made absolutely positive b,
the other decree of June 81, alread,
mentioned"