What do you do about interfaith weddings?

[chevalier]

I’ve been wondering what people do about interfaith weddings to avoid the sad problem of non-Catholic nupturients (parties contracting marriage) being unable to receive the Holy Communion?

Perhaps the problem doesn’t really exist for the Orthodox, Old Catholics etc who could be allowed, but what about Protestants?

It’s sad to receive without your spouse on the wedding day and it’s sad to have a wedding without mass. Personally, I can’t avoid associating this with the penitential rite problem for the Orthodox when they remove the crowning ceremony and the joyous hymns for divorced nupturients. So, what do you do? Do you go without the mass? Do you abstain from receiving because your bride or groom can’t receive? Or do you actually receive alone? Or what would you do yourself if you have second-hand experience?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

chevalier:

I’ve been wondering what people do about interfaith weddings to avoid the sad problem of non-Catholic nupturients (parties contracting marriage) being unable to receive the Holy Communion?

Perhaps the problem doesn’t really exist for the Orthodox, Old Catholics etc who could be allowed, but what about Protestants?

It’s sad to receive without your spouse on the wedding day and it’s sad to have a wedding without mass. Personally, I can’t avoid associating this with the penitential rite problem for the Orthodox when they remove the crowning ceremony and the joyous hymns for divorced nupturients. So, what do you do? Do you go without the mass? Do you abstain from receiving because your bride or groom can’t receive? Or do you actually receive alone? Or what would you do yourself if you have second-hand experience?

This is however nothing more than an outward sign of the inward reality that a core element of this Marriage is a disparity of religious practice and belief. That is something that must not be hidden or ignored.

 

[Catholic2003]

Under canon 844 §4, the Bishop could allow communion to be given to the Protestant nupturient, if he thought that the couple’s situation presented a grave and pressing need, and the other conditions of canon law were met, e.g., that the person demonstrated a catholic faith in respect of the sacrament and was properly disposed.

There is some discussion of this in this thread with regard to the Swiss bishops ad limina visit to Rome.

 

[chevalier]

What if we have a Protestant who doesn’t believe in Real Presence and therefore can’t receive anyway?

 

[puzzleannie]

many priests in a mistaken effort at being “pastoral” allowed nuptial Masses for mixed marriages in the 70s, but exactly because of the sad situation you describe, half the congregation being unable to receive communion, most priests would now strenuously advise a wedding service without a Mass. this would avoid the whole problem and celebrate what all Christian bodies can share, witnessing the exchange of vows and consent as a new family is formed.

marrying a non-Catholic is still wrong according to canon law and requires a dispensation, so it is possible but inadvisible, as the disparity of belief and practice in something so fundamental to one’s identity cannot help but be a barrier to full intimacy and a continuing source of conflict.

 

[saggal]

Where does Canon Law prohibit interfaith marriage? I looked at the Vatican web site, but must have missed the citation.

You should know, I am Catholic, married to a formerly married (and properly annulled) Lutheran. We had a Mass at our insistance, over the objections of our priest.

 

[Catholic2003]

Canon 1124 Without the express permission of the competent authority, marriage is prohibited between two baptised persons, one of whom was baptised in the catholic Church or received into it after baptism and has not defected from it by a formal act, the other of whom belongs to a Church or ecclesial community not in full communion with the catholic Church.