The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-09-12
CHURCH PLANS DISCUSSION OF
 MARRIAGE LAW
Episcopalians May Aban- don Position Toward
 Divorced Persons

Denver, Colo.-One of the major problems to be discussed at the 50th General Convention of the Episcopal church, starting here September 16, is whether the church in the United States shall abandon its historic position against the remarriage of divorced persons.
 The law of the church as it now stands provides that no priest of the church can marry a divorced person, except in a. case where d1- vorce has been granted on the grounds of adultery. Then the in nocent person may be remarried.
 In 1925 the General Convention of the Church, meeting in New Or- leans, appointed a joint commission of bishops and deputies to make a study of the divorce problem.
 Report Postponed
 In 1928 the commission present. ed the results of it's three-year study, but made no recommended tions. The commission was con- tinued and asked to report in 1s31.
 The commission has announced that it will go before the conven- ton with an amendment to Canon 43 of the Church law, approved by a majority of the commission, and which if approved by the conven- ton will permit the remarriage or those who have been divorced, without consideration of grounds.
 The proposed revision of the marriage law provides for the or ganization in the various dioceses of the Church of Ecclesiastical Marital Courts, which shall, in each instance, pass upon the right of divorced persons to remarry within the church.
 Section of the proposed new Canon reads:
 "Any person whose marriage has been dissolved for any cause by A civil court, after the expira- ton of one year from the granting of the divorce may apply to the bishop or to the Ecclesiastical Marital Court of his domicile, for permission to marry another per- son. The bishop, or court, shall thereupon inquire into the charac- ters and personalities of the par ties to the previous and proposed marriage and determine whether the spiritual welfare of the parties thereof will be served by the pro- posed marriage. If the court per- mits the proposed marriage, a minister of the church may sol emnize the marriage; provided that it shall be within the discre- tion of any minister to decline to solemnize any marriage.
 Other Provisions
 While there are other provisions in the proposed revision of Canon 43. which relate to instruction in Christian marriage by priests of the church before the ceremony IS nerformed and which define the ground upon which a marriage may be annulled, Section z is the point upon which the greatest controversy is expected.
 Further complication is lent by the fact that a section Of the com mission which does not oppose the remarriage of divorced persons has prepared an amendment un- der which, even if the Eccieslasti- cal Marital Court permits the pro- posed remarriage of divorced per sons, 'the marriage may not be performed by a minister or thls church, but, if the parties are married by civil authority, no inn pediment shall exist to their mem bership in the church, and min isetr of the church may, in his discretion, bless the union."
 There also is a minority of the whole commission which disap- proves any plan to change the church's historical attitude to- ward divorce.
 The chairman of the commits sion is the Rt Rev Herman Page, D.D. bishop of Michigan.