Co-celebration at wedding (Catholic / non-Catholic)

[Cirdan_XII]

I have attended various weddings over the years, and two of them were between a Catholic and a non Catholic (but other Christian denomination) in which a Catholic priest and a minister of said denomination jointly performed the marriage ceremony.

What are Church rules on this type of co-celebration, and is it open to any Christian denomination or only those with which the Catholic Church has some special sort of agreement.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say “any”, but it doesn’t require special agreement, really - the Church doesn’t have special agreements regarding marriages*.

If I recall correctly (I’ll look it up in a moment), the only real rule is that the priest be the one to receive the couple’s consent (“I dos”) and not violate any other Church norm for ecumenism (no shared communion).

The * has to do with SSPX chapels; those probably aren’t what you had in mind, but there’s technically an agreement there from the pope and individual bishops.

 

[1ke]

What are Church rules on this type of co-celebration, and is it open to any Christian denomination or only those with which the Catholic Church has some special sort of agreement.

If the marriage is in the Catholic Church the priest or deacon marries the couple, and “celebrates” the wedding. A non Catholic minister could perhaps read the readings or say something at the end. He would not “celebrate” or “co celebrate” in any way.

If the marriage is in a non Catholic setting, the non Catholic pastor marries the couple/“celebrates” the wedding. The Catholic priest might be invited to do a reading, preach a homily, or say a prayer. That is up to the denomination in question. The Catholic priest may not “co celebrate” the wedding.

Canon 1127 §3. It is forbidden to have another religious celebration of the same marriage to give or renew matrimonial consent before or after the canonical celebration according to the norm of §1. Likewise, there is not to be a religious celebration in which the Catholic who is assisting and a non-Catholic minister together, using their own rites, ask for the consent of the parties.