Patrilineal parallel fourth cousin marriage

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I am about to marry my patrilineal parallel fourth cousin. That means, my father’s great grandfather and his father’s great grandfather share a common ancesor. We have even same surname. Is it acceptable in the Roman catholic church? I am from India
 
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Someone is welcome to correct me, but no, I don’t think it is. From the Code of Canon Law:
“Can. 1091 §1. In the direct line of consanguinity marriage is invalid between all ancestors and descendants, both legitimateand natural.
§2. In the collateral line marriage is invalid up to and including the fourth degree.”
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http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P3Y.HTM
 
SO does this mean we come under forth degree or we are in direct lines? Is there an option to get dipensation?
 
NM_R said:
Hi
I am about to marry my patrilineal parallel fourth cousin. That means, my father’s great grandfather and his father’s great grandfather share a common ancesor. We have even same surname. Is it acceptable in the Roman catholic church? I am from India
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Canon Law to go with the other posted law.
Can. 108 §1. Consanguinity is computed through lines and degrees.
§2. In the direct line there are as many degrees as there are generations or persons, not counting the common ancestor.
§3. In the collateral line there are as many degrees as there are persons in both the lines together, not counting the common ancestor.
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Am doubtful whether we come under direct line or collateral line. What we share is a common ancestor for two great great grandfathers.
 
NM_R said:
Hi
I am about to marry my patrilineal parallel fourth cousin. That means, my father’s great grandfather and his father’s great grandfather share a common ancesor. We have even same surname. Is it acceptable in the Roman catholic church? I am from India
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@acanonlawyer Dan can answer this with certainty, but great-grandfathers appears to be well past the fourth degree. Assuming this common ancestor is a parent (let’s assume the father, and therefore your common great-great grandfather), then it is OP (1) father (2) grandfather (3), great grandfather (4), other party’s great grandfather (5), other party’s grandfather (6), other party’s father (7), other party (cousin, 8).

That’s eight degrees removed, well within the allowed collateral relationship.

1091.1 does not apply because there is no direct ancestry between the two parties.
 
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How many generations back do you have to go to reach your comm0n ancestor? Your description in your OP is not very clear, but it looks to me as though there is a great enough distance between you and your fiancé to free you from any impediment under canon law. But you had better discuss it with a qualified canon lawyer to make sure.
 
From my side there are 4 fathers to reach the common ancestor (excluding me) and from his side 4 fathers (excluding him).
 
There is no impediment for two such persons, at least in terms of consanguinity. The 2nd degree is sibling, 3rd is aunt/nephew or uncle/neice, 4th is 1st cousin (a person’s aunt/uncle’s child). We are way beyond that in the OP.

Dan
 
acanonlawyer said:
There is no impediment for two such persons, at least in terms of consanguinity. The 2nd degree is sibling, 3rd is aunt/nephew or uncle/neice, 4th is 1st cousin (a person’s aunt/uncle’s child). We are way beyond that in the OP.
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Thank you for the clarification!
 
Of course it is. We are talking about FOURTH cousins… they share a great-great-(great?)-grandfather. In my case, and probably for many if not most people, that would eliminate many hundreds of people. Maybe into the thousands if large families were common. Many of us may have dated fourth cousins without knowing it.
 
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twf said:
Of course it is. We are talking about FOURTH cousins… they share a great-great-(great?)-grandfather. In my case, and probably for many if not most people, that would eliminate THOUSANDS of people. Many of us may have dated fourth cousins without knowing it.
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When it said fourth degree, I wasn’t sure if it meant fourth cousins is all.
 
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Fair enough. I just can’t imagine how you would go about finding out whether someone was your fourth or even third cousin unless all branches of your family kept detailed geneologies.
 
My father knew this relationship. He actually found out since we share samefamily name.
 
NM_R said:
From my side there are 4 fathers to reach the common ancestor (excluding me) and from his side 4 fathers (excluding him).
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I think the arithmetic there gives the answer, seventh degree. I’m sure you must be on perfectly safe ground, but as I said, you ought to speak to a qualified canon lawyer!

[Add]
I just noticed that @acanonlawyer already gave you his answer on this thread. So you’re okay! Congratulations!
 
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NM_R said:
I am about to marry my patrilineal parallel fourth cousin.
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Well if you are “about to marry” this person, I would presume you’ve already talked to your priest about it. What has he told you?
NM_R said:
Is it acceptable in the Roman catholic church?
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Marriage is prohibited up to the fourth degree, which would be first cousins. First cousins can be dispensed, however it usually isn’t.

Fourth cousins is quite far removed from what is prohibited.
 
It appears that you would come under the collateral line rather than the direct line and it appears that you are far enough removed that you should be able to marry one another. However the person to ask would be the priest who is assisting you in the preparation of your marriage. If there is an impediment then it is likely that it could be dispensed. There was a very famous case in history, Henry VIII received a dispensation so that he could marry his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon.
 
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