ROMAN CATHOLICS AND MARRIAGE LAWS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 273, 12 August 1920, Page 5

ROMAN CATHOLICS AND MARRIAGE LAWS

In view of the current controversy special interest- attaches to a pamphlet on "Catholics and the Marriago Laws," by the ltev. Dr. Cleary, Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, liishop Clcarj deals in the follorvinir terms with one of the principal points raisod: —

"The priest assists at ordinary marriage ceremonies' in. New Zealand in a two-fold capacity—(l) He assists as tho official representative of the Church, in order to soo to the valid, lawful, mid proper celebration of one of tho Church's nacraments. (2), Ho also assists ub a duly gazetted State official, chajged, as such, with the duty of eocing to tho due and proper execution of certain legal formalities connected with the marriago contract on its civil sido. Jie has. for instance, to seo to the proper filling in, signing, and transmission of the official forms or registors, In "dealing with these, he is not the priest, but the civil official. As such. it is his plain duty to act ad mentem legislators—as the law prescribes, and in no other way.- Thus, he is strictly forbidden to insert, m the ofilcial forms, any designation (such as - 'bachelor,' 'spinster,' 'illegitimate'), or any other particular except in tho sense attributed to such designation or other particular in tho civil law itself, of which he ie, for tho time being, acting as an otlicial or functionary. Such frankness and oponness arc demanded of him by the very natnro of the office which ho lias freely undertaken to dischaTgojand the authorities of the Catholic Church m tin's Dominion would not dream of tolerating a legal misdescription, by a priest, upon any legal and official form, such as that of a marriago register."