The article focuses on the assessment of the validity of marriages contracted in the Protestant Churches and denominations from the point of view of the Catholic Church. As a rule, these communities follow the civil law when it comes to contracting a marriage; however, the engaged couple may request to receive a blessing as well within the framework of the church rite, which is not mandatory for the validity of their marriage. What follows is an analysis of the development of legislation in the Catholic Church regarding the determination of the nullity of marriage, with a particular emphasis on the authority of the Church to judge the validity of Protestant laws when a Protestant intends to contract a new marriage with a Catholic. The instruction The Dignity of Marriage fills the statutory gap in the Code of Canon Law concerning the jurisdiction of a Catholic judge over the validity of marriages of non-Catholic Christians. The Church reserves the right to judge the validity of marriages of all Christians; however, it exercises this right over the believers of other Christian communities only on their request.
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