Albuquerque morning journal., 1916-10-13
Episcopal Convention in ST.
Louis Says Marriage Should
Be Made Matter of Careful
CIergiCaI instruction,
TRUE MARRIAGE DEFENSE
AGAINST DIVORCE EVIL
Distinction Must Be Made Be-
tween Marriages Allowed by
Civil Law and Those Sane
toned by Church,

jsv uoRS,No JOURNAL SPECIAL LtAsEn wIRsl
/ St. Louis, oct IA church law
! forbidding clergymen to solemnize a
marriage for a person divorced for
any cause arising after marriage while
the divorced partner lives, was rec
commended in the report Of the Joint
/ commission ON legislation on matters
! relating to holy matrimony, submitted
today to the trennial convention Of
! the Protestant Episcopal church
The commission recommended how
ever, that where it is claimed di-
! Vurcc has been granted for causes
arising before marriage and satisfact-
! ory evidence, including a copy Of the
courts decree and record, Is present
/ ed the bishop of the diocese shall
/ have the power to declare such de-
cree, being in fact a decree of an
/ nulment,' is no bar to the marriage
! Of either party.
/ The present canon Of the church
/ permits a minister to perform the
ceremony in the case of the marriage
: Of the innocent party to a divorce
granted on statutory grounds, provid-
! ling the clergyman has received the
consent of his bishop.
! The report defined marriage, "ac-
! cording to Gods design" as the life
/ long union Of one man with one wom-
an to the exclusion of all others on
/ either side"
In its rcoprt the commission
/ pointed out that the whole subject
/ Of marriage, with its responsible
I ties and obligations should be made
/ a matter for careful instruction BY
/ the clergy much more frequently than
/ is now common
True Marriage Divorce Defense.
! Asserted that "thc teaching of true
marriage is one of the best defenses
against divorce and other evils which
/ now afflict and threaten the ma
/ ton"
an such instruction the distinction
must be made clear between mar
1 riages which are allowed by the civil
! law representing all that can be i'm
! posed upon people of varying and no
/ religious beliefs, and marriages which
( can be sanctioned and blessed by the
/ church as conformable to Gods will
and the teaching of our Lord Jesus
/ Christ" said the report.
! Unchristian Marriage Not Sacred.
At the same time care must be
/ taken to insist on the fact that true
marriage is not peculiar institution
/ of the Christian church The teach
/ ing of our Lord recalls men and
| women to Gods design, and his grace
will enable them to rise up thereto;
/ Tut marriage contracted without
. Christian rites must not he REGARDED
j as sacred. and the contracting parties
/ led to recognize the dignity and obli-
| cations of the estate on which they
/ have entered.
/ The commission recommended also
/ that the refusal of the church to bless
and solemnize marriage need not
be followed by a permanent exclusion
! from the sacraments, saying on this
point: consideration must be had
of the good faith in which a mar
| rage may have been entered upon,
| i'm ignorance of the churchF law,
and while not subject to the Church's
! discipline: and of the practical inn
| possibility in many cases without
| greater wrong, OF the breaking up of
I a family Some such cases there
must be a power Of discretion, very
/ carefully exercised, to admit or re-
admit persons to the sacraments"
Rcpcrt Presented to Bishop.
The report of the commission,
which must he ratified by the two
houses of the convention, bishops and