MARRIAGE LAWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 214, 15 October 1909, Page 4

MARRIAGE LAWS.

KEMARKS BY BISHOP XELHiAX. [ A WAIiXIXG. hi his-charge to the Anglican S.vnoil i.i Auckland, which opened last week. H%hup Xeligan had something to say on the subject fit marriage.- lie warned meitibeiv of the Anglican Communion against contracting marriages with ltoman Catholics, especially in view of the attitude of that church towards mixed marriages. The Bishop said that "thv purity of family life was the basis of all national stability, and it was lac function of the church not only to bless the marriage itself, but also to guard the integrity of the family in all its stages." These were the words of the committee of the Lambeth Conference on marriage, and the obligation tltcy implied was one for the observance of which lay members of the church were quite as much responsible as the or dained brotherhood. The priests of the church were forbidden to celebrate marriages contrary to the law of the church, such as tile remarriage of divoJ.-ed per .wii:.. The rule of the church was clear.

"\\c arc not lioiuui," said his liO"d ship, "by any Parliamentary table >f kindred mill nihility or facile methods of divorce. AVe arc bound, until sucli lime us General Synod mnv take otlnorder, by a table of kindred and ufliiiily wherein whosoever are related arc forbidden in Scripture and Our law (0 many together. Whether we like it 01 do not like it, the fact remains that I'nc law in force on 13th June, 1857, is the ecclesiastical law in force to-day in thi church of the province of New Zealand.' Proceeding, the llishup said thc/c could be no doubt whatever that thouis a growing prevalence of disregard of the sanctity of marriage. Facilities for divorce increased everywhere, cases being frequent, especially among Hie more well-to-do, in whicli the husband and wife were in collusion in the appeal to the courts of law. and statistics supported the contention (hat incrctsc of divorce was connected with wil'ul restriction of population, deliberate lismpering with nascent life. COMBINED ACTIO.V.

"I am satisfied -myself that the cau.se of national morals, and in time that of ■ Christian unity, would materially no advantaged if all Christian bodies" com- [ bined in refusing to perform any marriage which plainly was repugnant to the acknowledged custom and practi;:' of historic Christianity. The effect (f sll<il ' bined action would before very long be of untold benejit to the family life of this or any oilier country similarly situated as to its State marriage laws.

"There is another and rather painful point," continued tile llisliop. '-which, l>erhaps. I had better now allude to. Til the Lambeth proceedings resolution 07 reads thus:

'•Y\c desire carn'slly to wain members c) f our communion asninr-t contracting marriage with Roman. Catholics under the conditions inipo,cd by modern Catholic Canon law. spccially as those conditions involve the performance of the marriage ceremony without any praver or invocation of the divine blessing, and also a promise to have (heir ohild.vn brought up in a religious system which they cannot themselves accept. We warn our people against contracting mixed marriages of anv sort, and especially against contracting marriages with Ronian Catholics under the conditions imposed by modern Roman Canon law.'

Notwithstanding rare ami beautiful instances to the contrary, it mav be laid down as a general rule that mixed marriages arc contracts fraiHit with spiritual risk, and arc not favorable to the integrity of the family j„ „u ,i, stages,"