Why must Catholics marry in the presence of an authorised priest or deacon?
Canon law requires that Catholics celebrate their marriage according to the canonical form—in the presence of an authorised bishop, priest or deacon, and before at least two witnesses.
Marriage is not a purely private agreement between two individuals; it is an ecclesial sacrament and an ecclesiastical state of life in the public community of faith. Celebrating marriage before the Church ensures that the couple are free from impediments, that their consent is given freely and intentionally, and that the marriage is registered in church records.
Furthermore, the liturgical blessing of the Church invokes God's Holy Spirit and grace upon the new family. If a Catholic wishes to marry a non-Catholic Christian or non-Christian, appropriate ecclesiastical permissions or dispensations must be obtained from the diocesan ordinary.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1631
- Code of Canon Law, can. 1108
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.