Transcript
Page 1: Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved?

Fortnight Publications Ltd.

Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved?Source: Fortnight, No. 108 (Jul. 4, 1975), pp. 4-7Published by: Fortnight Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25545464 .

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Page 2: Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved?

4/FORTNIGHT > ?????' I ? ' ?? ?????????? III IH. I ??? I .I. I ii ??I II I II ?i?? ,

Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved? The clash of personalities between Father Des Wilson and Bishop Philbin has obscured the more important issues which lie beneath Father

Wilson's resignation. The most

important of these is the need in the

present political situation far the Roman Catholic Church to give leadership to its members on the vexed issues of mixed marriage and

segregated education. In this issue we

look in depth at the position of each of the main churches on mixed

marriages, and at the real and irrational fears of the Protestant

community North and South of the border. . . . A

* * * *

1. The Problem The issue of mixed marriage and

separate education has arisen in every country where there are substantial Roman Catholic and Protestant communities. The fundamental prob lem is the claim of the Roman

Catholic Church to be the one true

Church; in the words of Father Devine in a recent article on mixed marriage (Reality, May 1975), 'God's plan for the salvation of mankind through his Church, which subsists only in its fullness in the Roman Catholic

Church' imposes an obligation of divine law on the Catholic to bring up his children as Catholics. This law, as

explained by the recent International Consultation on Mixed Marriage held in Dublin last autumn, is not created

by the Pope's decrees but merely given human and practical effect by them. Protestant denominations make no, such claim to exclusive religious truth and find it impossible to accept the Roman Catholic position.

It is this basic clash which has

prevented any real progress being made at the Ballymascanlon talks. The Roman Catholic position has been eased in recent years, as shown in the panel opposite, but it is still a rule of the Church that any' Roman Catholic must have permission from his or her bishop before entering into a

marriage with a non-Catholic, whether in a Catholic church or anywhere else. If he or she proceeds to get married in a registry office or in a Protestant

church without permission the

marriage is not recognised by the Roman Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic is technically living in

sin, and may be debarrred from communion and other benefits of church membership.

The problem in Ireland has been made worse by the extremely conservative attitude taken by many Roman Catholic bishops on the

granting of dispensations, particularly in the Cork diocese under Bishop Lucy and to a lesser extent in Down and Connor under Bishop Philbin. In areas like these a written undertaking

may still be required from the Catholic

party to secure the promise which is

required under Canon Law about the education of the children. The only ground on which a dispensation will be readily granted allowing the Roman Catholic to be married in a Protestant Church is when the Protestant party is son or daughter of a clergyman. Before any dispensation is granted, even if the marriage is to take place in the Roman Catholic

Church, the priest must fill in the form

printed opposite, which requires him to report on the likelihood of the Catholic's promises being carried out.

2 Protestant fears Protestants' reaction to this attitude is a mixture of annoyance and fear.

They are annoyed at the inconsisten cies of the Roman Catholic position which adopts broad statements about freedom of conscience and mutual

respect, as in Vatican II and even in the report of the Ballymascanlon Con

ference, but seems in practice to deny the equal rights of the Catholic and Protestant partners. And they are afraid that the results of the'hard line attitude of the Roman Catholic Church on granting dispensation will be a progressive weakening of the Protestant community both North and South of the border. It is is this fear which in the words of the Irish Foreign Minister, Dr Garret FitzGerald

speaking to the International Consul tation last September, makes the issue of mixed marriages one of the most divisive in Protestant/Catholic rela

tions both in the Republic and in Northern Ireland.

In the Republic the fear is very simply that the Protestant community

will slowly and inexorably be

extinguished, a fear which is expressed primarily by Church of Ireland

ministers. The plain figures are hard to contest on this issue: in 1901 there

were 343,000 Protestants in the

Twenty Six Counties; in 1961 the figure had declined to a mere 144,000 and appeared to be dropping by upwards of 10% each decade. In an

important article in 1971, on Religion

THE CHURCH OF IRELAND POSITION: INSTRUCTION TO CLERGY FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS, JANUARY 1975

/. Initially there should be consultation with both partners of the intended marriage. At this consultation the Church of Ireland

doctrine of Holy Matrimony should be

explained, and it should be clearly indicated that the marriage can be solemnised in a

Church of Ireland Church according to the rites prescribed in the Book of Common

Prayer, with all legal and spiritual propriety, and without the requirement of any prior promises concerning the baptism and

upbringing of any children ofthe marriage. 2. Further, where possible, there should be

joint consultation involving both partners with the respective Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic clergy in which assurance should be sought that the 'pro viribus' clause in the Motu Proprio regulations .. . will not be interpreted as to exclude the partners

from exercising freely their responsibility in conscience regarding the baptism and

upbringing of any children ofthe marriage. 3. At this joint consultation arrangements

for the joint pastoral care of the family should be discussed and agreed by the

respective clergy, recognising the equal responsibility of both churches and the

equal responsibility of both partners for the

religious upbringing of the children. 4. If the partners freely decide to be married in a Church of Ireland Church . . . the

Church of Ireland clergyman may, in consultation with the partners . . . invite the

clergyman ofthe Roman Catholic partner to assist in the marriage ceremony, remember

ing that the administration ofthe vows must be reserved in all cases . .. to the Church of Ireland clergyman.

If the partners decide freely to be married in a Roman Catholic church and the Church

of Ireland clergyman be invited to take part in the marriage service he should accept such invitation only if the assurance sought in section 2 is given and if the arrangement

for joint pastoral care in section 3 is agreed.

^ ^ ^ VHHHB

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Page 3: Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved?

FRIDAY 4th JULY 1975/5 I- -'

and Demographic Balance in Ireland Brendan Walsh isolated four main factors in the decline of the Protestant

population in the Republic: high age, low fertility and marriage rates, and the mixed marriage phenomenon. By 1975 he had amended his position somewhat in claiming that mixed

marriages as such have not had an

important impact on Protestant

birthrates. But his original view is

supported by a study of what happens in mixed marriages in the Ferns

diocese in the Wexford area. In 1973 H W Robinson published a very detailed study of the Church of Ireland community in the diocese

which showed that of the 94 children of the 61 mixed marriages covered in the study 86 were being brought up as

Roman Catholics and only eight as

Protestants. Whether these figures are the natural result of a small minority community intermarrying with a

majority community or are directly due to the Roman Catholic position on

mixed marriages is arguable. But the Protestant community in the Republic certainly feels itself to be at risk,

particularly in rural areas, and the conservative attitude of the Roman Catholic hierarchy seems to many to be deliberately geared towards

continuing the process of absorption.

3, The Northern position Fears of the extinction of the Protestant community in Northern Ireland are clearly irrational. But the

equally emotive fear that Roman Catholics will increase sufficiently to outvote the Unionists is quite enough to make mixed marriages an even

more divisive issue than in the South. The figures which are available do

not suggest that this is a very rational

fear, at least in the short term. In the

country areas, as exemplified by the Roman Catholic diocese of Armagh, the proportion of mixed marriages celebrated in Roman Catholic churches is relatively low: between 1971 it declined from just over 5% to 3% of all Roman Catholic marriages. In Belfast and other urban areas the

figure is almost certainly higher; in some parishes it has been estimated that up to 25% of marriages in Roman

Catholic churches are mixed, though the overall figure is probably more like 10% of 15%. In contrast the

proportion of mixed marriages celebrated in Protestant churches is

much lower, as indicated by the Church of Ireland figure for Antrim, Down and Belfast, in 1974, of a mere

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC POSITION: MATRIMONIA

MIXTA (1970) (Extracts from Reality, May 1975)

The Roman Catholic attitude to mixed

marriage is often but inaccurately referred to as the Ne Temere decree. This decree was

originally issued by Pope Pius IX in 1907 and was primarily directed against secret

marriages by Roman Catholics; to

discourage this it declared that all Roman

Catholics were ipso facto excommunicated if they attempted marriage before a

non-Catholic minister. This was later

incorporated in the Code of Canon Law of 1918, which prescribed the following requirements for mixed marriages: (a) The non-Catholic pam> had to guarantee

to remove the danger of perversion ofthe Catholic party.

(b)Both parites had to give guarantees to

baptise and educate the children in the Roman Catholic faith alone,

(c) There had to be moral certainty that these guarantees would be fulfilled,

which was usually secured by demanding the promises in writing,

(di The Catholic was bound to strive with

prudence to convert the non-Catholic.

In 1966 a new instruction, Matrimonii Sac ramentum, was issued by Pope Paul VI.

Under this the Catholic party was to be instructed on the serious obligation of baptising the children and bringing them up in the Roman Catholic faith, and had to

make an express promise to do so; the non-Catholic was to be informed of the Catholic's obligation and had to promise .

sincerely hot to put any obstacle in the way of its fulfilment, a promise normally given in

writing; if the non-Catholic could not in conscience make such a promise the matter was to be referred to Rome.

In 1970 Pope Paul issued his Motu Proprio Matrimonia Mixta which modified still

further the conditions of dispensation under which the Catholic is permitted to marry a non-Catholic under the Code of Canon Law: (a) The'Catholic party must declare himself

ready to remove all dangers to his own

faith. (b) He must promise to do all in his power to

have the children baptised and educated in the Roman Catholic Church. .

(c) The non-Catholic is to be informed of these obligations of the Catholic, but he

himself is not required to make any promise.

This rule is currently enforced in Northern Ireland by requiring the priest who is

approached about a mixed marriage to

complete the following form which is sent to the Bishop of the diocese who may then

grant the. necessary dispensation.

FORM OF APPLICATION FOR 1 DISPENSATION FOR MIXED MARRIAGES'

My Lord Bishop, I request permission so that., a Catholic,

aged.of the Parish of..may lawfully and validly marry.not a Catholic, who was

baptised in the.denomination/has not been baptised. These two people have known each other for about.

They first came to make arrangements for marriage on.-.

and they would like the marriage to take place in the Church of

.on.at. The required instructions have been given; the Prenuptial Enquiry

form has been completed; and I have established their freedom to

marry. The Catholic has made the following declaration and promise

I DECLARE THAT I SHALL REMAIN STEADFAST IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH AND THAT I SHALL GUARD AGAINST ALL DANGERS OF FALLING AWAY FROM IT. ALSO I SINCERELY PROMISE TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TQ ENSURE THAT ALL THE CHILDREN BORN OF OUR MARRIAGE WILL BE BAPTISED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND CAREFULLY BROUGHT UP IN THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF THE CATHOLIC RELIGION.

Signed.Date. This declaration and promise has been explained by me/ and by the Catholic Party to the non-Catholic Party, whose reaction was.

I think the likelihood ofthe children being baptised and brought up as Catholics is very good/good/slight. I am satisfied that the ends and essential properties of marriage,

particularly its indissolubility, are not being excluded by either party. The circumstances ofthe case and the reasons why I recommend this

request are.

Signature of priest. Date.

People in need of Advice and Assistance may contact the NORTHERN IRELAND MIXED MARRIAGE ASSOCIATION

c/o 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast BT7 INT. Telephone 25008

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Page 4: Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved?

6/FORTNIGHT _

BALLYMASCANLON INTER-CHURCH MEETING

Report of Working Party on

Social and Community Problems

MIXED MARRIAGES ! Yb. As long as our Churches remain divided

Mixed Marriages will bring tensions, both

for the marriage partners and their children.

The acuteness of these tensions and of the

problems they create is likely to be in

proportion to the depths of the divisions

between the respective Churches and the

degree of Commitment felt toward their

teachings and disciplines by the parties concerned.

| 2. In some Mixed Marriages the members

I have indeed found an enriched sense of

j mutual respect and responsibility which has

strengthened rather than weakened personal i faith and the Church allegiance of each

party. In other cases such marriages have led

I to a weakening or even loss of personal faith

i and Church allegiance, bringing with it

grave harm to the spiritual welfare^ of the

children. Out of their experience, both the

Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches in

Ireland continue to advise their members

about the difficulties inherent in a mixed

marriage. 3. In Ireland where social and political division is often associated with ecclesiastical

affiliation, the pressures on Mixed

Marriages% can be intensified by non-theo

logical factors. This can have an injurious

effect not only upon the partners but also

upon their families, relatives and friends. We recognise that the Churches have a duty

j to help mitigate such situations by a more

effective education of their clergy and laity in respect for the rights both of those who

belong to their own Church and of those

whose traditions and convictions are

different. The responsibility for this falls upon the different Christian communities in

proportion to the influence they exercise in

any particular area.

4. Because of the deeply personal nature of the marriage relationship and of the way in

which it impinges upon Church members in

their daily lives it must be recognised that

Church teaching and attitudes in this field

I have a special importance for community relations. Should the tensions and problems

of mixed marriages be compounded by any*

failure to act in a spirit of sympathetic

understanding and pastoral care, those

responsible for such failure would be

neglecting a fundamental Christian duty. 5. Pastorally it is important that those who

intend to enter a mixed marriage should do so with genuine understanding for the

conscientious religious beliefs of the other

party. Pressures upon either partner to

I change Church membership simply to fulfil I marriage requirements and without real

conviction must be repudiated. 6. Full recognition should be given to the

basic principle that in a mixed marriage husband and wife alike have a Christian

duty to contribute spiritually to the

marriage, to their children's upbringing and to the general life of the home. Their

obligations in conscience towards God and

in relation to Church membership are

essentially of the same nature, whether

explicitly declared or not. Each party must

respect the inviolability of the conscientious

convictions of the other and seek to resolve

conflicts with the fullest regard for Christian

truth and love.

7. The tensions arising from Mixed

Marriages must be seen in the context ofthe

obligation on all Christians to be faithful to

the Will of Christ for His Church. To see the

problem only in terms of obstacles to

personal and community harmony, and not

also as a challenge to each Christian to

remain true, above all else, to his calling as a

member of Christ's Church, is to miss the

full range and seriousness of the issues with

which it confronts the Christian conscience.

A truly Christian approach to the problem also demands that in the delicate decisions

which have to be taken in this field considerations relating to Christian faith and love and the Christian understanding of

Marriage and parenthood should take

priority over social and economic factdrs. 8. We see no easy way in which to resolve the

basic problems of Mixed Marriages, such as

those arising from the Churches' different

ways of understanding the nature and

identity of the Church, the principles for

interpreting Scripture, obligations arising

from the demands of the moral law and the

relationship between Church Authority and

the freedom ofthe individual Inevitably the

impact of these differences on Mixed

Marriages is affected, also, by the approach

of the clergy involved. Pastoral instruction

and care should be undertaken by them in a

spirit of mutual respect and trust. Where

such a spirit exists it cannot but have a

beneficial effect on the relationship of the

married partners to each other.

9. We recommend that the Churches

establish a small joint Standing Committee to report annually to them on such general trends in Church practice concerning Mixed

Marriages as appear to involve difficulties or

misunderstandings calling for resolution or

clarification. 10. While differences between our Churches

in Marriage teaching and discipline, as

indicated in last years interim Report, remain unresolved, much even now depends

upon the spirit and the- degree of sensitivity in which traditions and directives are

interpreted and applied. We believe

therefore that each Church should review its

own practice in this light and frame directives and give guidance, both for their

ministers or priests and for their people, so

as to demonstrate concern for the Christian

conscience not only of their own members

but of those ofthe other Churches. It is our

opinion that this, supported by developing evidence of mutual goodwill and a cessation

of recrimination, would make an important contribution to the Christian life of our

country.

3% ; and of these most involved either

non-practising Roman Catholics or soldiers and other non-local Catholics. Nor has there been any substantial increase in Registry Office marriages. I

Overall the total proportion of Roman '

Catholic marriages has been creeping up, as shown by the Registrar

General's figures, while marriages in Protestant churches have been static or have declined proportionally. But even if the promises as to Catholic

upbringing are fully implemented, the net effect in terms of the balance of

political power is negligible, given the fact that other social pressures operate to ensure a higher Roman Catholic j emigration rate. If present trends continue there is no reason to suppose that the Protestant majority in

political terms is under any genuine threat.

On the other hand the maintenance of the restrictive attitude by Catholic

bishops to mixed marriages being celebrated in Protestant churches does I almost certainly help to maintain communal tensions. Churches with a Northern Irish outlook like the

Presbyterians respond by maintaining an almost equally disapproving attitude to mixed marriages. Some Protestants explicitly or unconsciously feel it necessary to maintain

discriminatory practices in employ- j ment to offset the effect of mixed

marriages. It is even possible to attribute the warded thinking which i

results in sectarian assassinations to the view that one Catholic less will

help to keep the voting power of the two communities in balance. The *j

explicit expression of the idea that Roman Catholics should keep up a

high marriage and birth rate in order to outbreed the Protestants by such

| Catholic propagandists as Father Faul in Dungannon does nothing to help the situation. In this sense the exclusive attitude of the Roman Catholic Church is part and parcel of the continuing political and social

problem of the two communities in Northern Ireland.

4. The need for a gesture It is in an attempt to break this reli-

j gious and political stalemate that

Father Desmond Wilson and others

have been campaigning for a more

open and understanding attitude on

the part of the hierarchy. The kind of

solution which he looks forward to, as a devout Christian, is one in which the

parties to a mixed marriage are

genuinely left to decide for themselves

m where to get married and how to bring I

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Page 5: Mixed Marriages: Can the Problem Be Solved?

FRIDAY 4th JULY 1975/7 t

up their children. Much, could be

achieved, in his view, simply by

adopting the liberal interpretation of

existing Roman Catholic regulations which is applied in Britain and in most

European countries. He has suggested that both parties to the marriage be asked 'to use their best efforts of wisdom and grace in order to make sure that their children will have the benefit of worship and knowledge of

God.' If this were adopted and if as a

result there was greater equality in the number of mixed marriages celebrat ed in Protestant and Roman Catholic churches, and in the upbringing ofthe children, then the fears of the Protestants, both rational and irrational, and the hard political and social attitudes which go with them

might begin to decline. This is what Father Wilson means by calling on the

hierarchy to give a lead to the Roman Catholic people by making a gesture of friendship and understanding on

mixed marriage and on integrated education. In another sense he is

calling for the hierarchy to play their

part in the search for new attitudes and greater partnership which John Hume has been calling for in the

political sphere. The other path which churchmen

and believers on both sides fear is the drift towards the secular approach to

I

marriage which has overtaken even

the Roman Catholic community in Britain. A recently published study by Tony Spencer of the Social Studies

Department of Queen's showed that there had been a steady decline in.

England of all forms of religious observance among Catholics from

marriage to baptism and perseverance in worship; though the proportion of

mixed marriages in Catholic Churches in England had risen from 30% in 1958 to more than 46% in 1972, there

had been no corresponding increase in

practising members of the Catholic

community there, as would be

expected if the Matrrmonia Mixta

promises were being fu filled. As one Swedish minister attending an lnterchurch consultation on mixed

marriages in Ireland remarked, the churches in Ireland are lucky to have so many people bothering to get

married in church at all. If they continue with their present antiquated attitudes all we can look forward to is

continuing political and social confrontation. The only church which can really break the log-jam and solve the problem of mixed marriages is the

Roman Catholic Church. Is it too much to hope that Cardinal Conway and Bishop Philbin are seriously considering the issues which Father

Wilson has raised?

-1

MIXED MARRIAGES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

No official figures are collected of the number of mixed marriages. The Registrar-General publishes figures of marriages in the various denominational churches and in registry offices. The latest available figures are for 1973 and show a slight shift from church to registry office marriages since 1%5, but also a shift towards a greater proportion of marriages in Roman Catholic churches.

Marriages in 1965 1971 1973 RC Churches 3707 35% 4672 38% 4340 39% Cofl Churches 2388 22% 2446 20% 2161 19% Presbvterian Ch. 3207 29% 3138 26% 2932 26% Other Churches 938 9% 1035 8% 929 8% Registry- Offices 545 5% 861 7% 825 7%

Total 10735 12152 11212

Part of the reason for this may be a great number of mixed marriages taking place in Roman Catholic Churches. Figures were not obtainable for the number of mixed marriages in Roman Catholic Churches?the Belfast area, but a spokesman for the RC diocese of Armagh supplied the following table, showing a substantial decline since 1971.

MIXED AND ALL RC MARRIAGES IN RC CHURCHES IN THE ARMAGH DIOCESE

1971 1972 1973 1974 Mixed 76 49 51 43

BothRC 1317 1177 1331 1247

It has been estimated that some parishes of the RC diocese of Down and Connor have a proportion of mixed marriages in RC Churches maybe as high as 25%, though the average figure is probably lower. The number of mixed marriages in Protestant churches is much less. A survey in the Church of Ireland dioceses of Down/Dromore and Connor for 1974 gave the following figures:

MIXED AND ALL PROTESTANT MARRIAGES ON CHURCH OF IRELAND CHURCHES IN 1974

Down/Dromore Connor (S Belfast/ Down) (N Belfast/ Antrim)

Both Protestant 2% 387 Mixed 7 13 Almost all oi the mixed marriages were of non-attending Catholics or serving soldiers.

THE PRESBYTERIAN POSITION: MARRIAGE. HOME AND CHURCH

Greater problems arise where either ;he man or woman is a member of some special sect or ofthe Roman Catholic Church. Here ! the divisions are greater with serious

differences in teaching and in discipline, both over the meaning of our Christian faith and over some of its practical applications to

marriage and the home, to the birth and

education ofthe children. It is not enough in

these cases just to agree to differ, not to push

religion into a corner. This will not only '

impoverish the home but will imperil it in

many ways. It will lack the bond of shared

Christian life and faith which may Jielp in

times of stress. It may provide grounds for

adding to personal disputes and additional I

problems in bringing up the children. \ It is for reasons like these that all

Churches agree in warning against the

dangers of such mixed marriages and in

trying to discourage their members for their own sakes from entering into them. If in

spite of all they feel called to go ahead it he

couple) should try to work out some sort of

religious framework for their relationship

together, for their home and for the

upbringing of their children. Unless one

joins the other's Church it means that the

consciences and obligations of both husband

and wife must be respected in these matters.

The Roman Catholic Church does not

allow its members to enter into such a

marriage without dispensation. Since 1970 there is provision for such dispensation

provided that the Roman Catholic declares that he is ready to remove dangers of falling away from the faith' and makes 'a sincere \

promise to do all in his power to have all the i children baptised and brought up in the \

j Catholic Church'. The other partner 'must \ be informed of these promises' and made

I clear about the Roman Catholic's obliga tions, though, at least in theory, the

I non-Roman Catholic is no longer obliged to

promise that the children be brought up \

Roman Catholics. Theoretically a Roman j Catholic marrying without the permission of his own Church authorities need no longer be excommunicated, but he would still have I to make the promises afterwards if he wishes j

I his marriage to be recognised and to I continue a fully practising member of his I Church. i

Presbyterians-do not lay down any such

specific promises of Church penalties: vet this does not mean that they are any less concerned. Our Church accepts the

marriages performed by any Church or faith as well as civil marriages, but does not

approve a double religious marriage ceremony before the one God

If your attachment to the Protestant faith and the Presbyterian Church means

something to you, do not renounce your

religious convictions and practice even if you \ are marrying a Roman' Catholic and

member of some special sect. Do not agree j to any undertaking about the children you

will have, except to say that they will be

baptised and brought up in the knowledge and faith of our Lord Jesus Christ'. In due course you must yourselves decide, in the

light of your own home and religious development together, how best they may be

taught about God and helped to grow up as

good Church members.'

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