The thesis represents banns of marriage, which are a public proclamation to the parish communion that a couple wishes to be wed. Today banns are usually carried out on a Sunday, or a holiday, when most of the believers are present. The main purpose of banns is to reveal and denounce any impediment to the marriage of the couple in question. If there are any impediments, the Bishop Ordinary, the parish priest, the authorised priest or the deacon present at the ceremony needs to take appropriate actions. Impediments vary and have to be dispensed prior to the wedding. Most frequent impediments that occur encompass: inability of consummation, prior bond, underage, sacred orders, criminal acts such as abduction of the bride or homicide of a spouse. Consanguinity and affinity also represent an impediment.
Prior to the wedding, based on justified reasons, dispensations from banns can be granted and the couple gets the permission to be wed without the banns. Dispensations from banns also vary and can be granted by the Holy See, the Bishop Ordinary or the vicar general and in some cases also the parish or authorised priest.
Banns certificates are usually of A4 format. Parish priests already have samples, which require personal data of the couple and those of their parents. Banns certificates hold a date and are numbered. Banns of marriage are read in the parishes where the couple have lived for six months at least. Usually the banns are read in the fiancée and fiancé’s parish and each parish seals them. Requests for dispensations from banns are sent to the diocese and if the reasons are justified, dispensations are granted. Dispensations from banns are usually printed on the back side of the banns and cover one quarter of the A4 sheet together with the seal and the signature of the authority. There are also special forms of dispensation from banns, which are certificates of A4 format and are prepared individually for each case.
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