New Catholic Marriage Laws
Despatches from Rome state that the pope is issuing new laws governing marriage, which seem to be sensational if not revolutionary. All marriages are to be regarded as null and void among Catholics where the ceremony is performed by a justice or a Protestant minister, and no marriage shall be valid unless contracted before duly authorized priests in the presence of two witnesses, with two exceptions: One is where there is imminent danger of death and no authorized priest is obtainable, then any priest can perform the ceremony in the presence of two witnesses. The other is where no priest is obtainable a mere declaration on the part of the parties in the presence of two witnesses is valid. It will be worth while to see how this will affect legislation in the States.