Are Mixed Marriage Promises Different?

[Nadq]

Hello,

I would like to ask about mixed marriages and disparity of cult promises, is there a difference between them (or I am reading it wrong)?

If I am considering marrying an Eastern Orthodox and he does not agree to raise the children in the Catholic faith, is this an impediment to marriage, which renders it invalid?

I mean, I can promise to do my best to promise to convince him, but how can I promise to be able to convince him? And if it is clear in advance, that he is resolute about having children baptized Eastern Orthodox, is that an impediment for the marriage?

Here it seems to me, that there is a bit of nuance between requirements for mixed marriages (where the other party is Christian) and differences of cult (where they are not Christian). For the Eastern Orthodox Church, since the Pope called them the other lung of the Church of Christ and they have all valid sacraments, isn’t there a bigger proximity and some allowances for the mixed marriages than for the rest of the Christians?

As I read it an explicit promise to raise the children Catholic is required in case of disparity of cult (different religions). Please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks in advance for the answer!

From the Catechism:

Mixed marriages and disparity of cult

1633 In many countries the situation of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) often arises. It requires particular attention on the part of couples and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater circumspection.

1634 Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated. They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been overcome. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. Disparity of cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences about faith and the very notion of marriage, but also different religious mentalities, can become sources of tension in marriage, especially as regards the education of children. The temptation to religious indifference can then arise.

1635 According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.137 In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage.138 This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.139

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

I would like to ask about mixed marriages and disparity of cult promises, is there a difference between them (or I am reading it wrong)?

No, they are the same questions.

If I am considering marrying an Eastern Orthodox and he does not agree to raise the children in the Catholic faith, is this an impediment to marriage, which renders it invalid?

No, it would not render the marriage invalid unless he purposely hid that from you. The promises are that the Catholic spouse will do his/her best to raise the children as Catholics. No promises are asked of the non-Catholic spouse. The non-Catholic is simply informed that the Catholic will do his/her best to raise the children as Catholics.

When it comes to Eastern Orthodox there is very little that can canonically invalidate the marriage. Even skipping the Catholic premarital process and getting married in the Orthodox Church does not render the marriage invalid (canon 1127).

I mean, I can promise to do my best to promise to convince him, but how can I promise to be able to convince him? And if it is clear in advance, that he is resolute about having children baptized Eastern Orthodox, is that an impediment for the marriage?

As previously stated, this is not an impediment. However, this is a very important matter that both of you need to address prior to your marriage. Unless this is settled prior to the marriage in a way that is acceptable to both of you it will be a constant source of tension throughout the marriage.

For further reading: USCCB’s A Pastoral Statement on Orthodox/Roman Catholic Marriages

In marriages in which our two churches are involved, decisions, including the initial one of the children’s church membership, rest with both husband and wife. The decisions should take into account the good of the children, the strength of the religious convictions of the parents and other relatives, the demands of parents’ consciences, the unity and stability of the family, and other specific contexts…

…Yet we are convinced that it is possible to make this decision in good conscience because of the proximity of our churches’ doctrine and practice which enables each, to a high degree, to see the other precisely as Church, as the locus for the communion of the faithful with God and with each other through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.