British Roman Catholic Judges Face Divorce Declaration By Pope

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 November 1949, Page 5

British Roman Catholic Judges Face Divorce Declaration By Pope

LONDON, Nov. 9 (Roe. 7.35 pm).—Several British Judges may he affected by a declaration issued by the Pope that no Roman Catholic Judge may grant a divorce decree for a marriage which is valid in sight of God and the Roman Catholic Church. This is taken to mean that I Roman Catholic Judges must not sit in divorce eases involving couples married by a Roman Catholic priest.

I Roman Catholic Judges on the I English Bench are Mr. Justice I Wallington, who sits in the I’roI bate, Divorce and Admiralty di- ' vision, Mr. Justice Lynskey, and [ Mr. Justice Devlin, both of tin' living’s Bench division (judges of [ which have been called upon in the past to adjudicate in divorce I cases). [ Mi'. Justice Wallington is only 1 he second Roman Catholic Judge to serve in divorce courts, ‘since the Emancipation Act of.

1829 allowed Roman Catholics to become Judges in England. A message from Las Vegas, New Mexico, reported that Disti'ie.t. Judge Luis Armijo, who is a. Roman Catholic, said he refused to he bound by the Pope’s ruling. “1 am a citizen of the United] States first and my oath as Judge I conies first in matters of law. in-1 eluding divorce,” he said.— | Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.