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Sional Education Can and Should Be a Condition of Celebrating a Mixed Marriage

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we should examine what requirements for Christian is need to study closely and draw out the impli­ marriages derive from the Word of God: require­ cations of the conciliar declaration on religious li­ ments which go beyond the natural order and may berty. The excommunication of a Roman Catholic not correspond to what the civil law prescribes. who without dispensation agrees to give a non-Catho- 2) We regard as a common task the need to reach lic education to his children is a question which reciprocal acknowledgement of the validity of all concerns the discipline of the Roman Catholic marriages celebrated in our Churches, including Church. The study of a modification of this rule mixed marriages. We must find out how far the would, however make an essential contribution to recognition of the validity of a marriage performed rapprochement between the Churches. in another Church depends on doctrinal agreement 5) It seems to us advisable to ask people about and a minimum of common discipline. The Roman to marry that they should undertake to respect the Catholic Church recognises the full validity of mar­ faith and conscience of their partner, and in no way riages carried out in Evangelical, Old Catholic and obstruct the practice of his or her religion. It is Orthodox Churches, where both partners are mem­ furthermore their duty to resist any attack by a bers of the Church concerned. She is coming to third party on their partner’s religious allegiance, recognise also as valid marriages in an Orthodox especially if it arises in connection with the edu­ church between a Roman Catholic and an Orthodox. cation of the children. The recognition of the validity of these marriages 6) A wedding in church is not just something to does not prevent each Church from laying down be taken for granted, nor is it a mere outward ce­ rules as to their lawfulness. remony. It confronts the engaged couple with a 3) The next step depends on the answer to be grave decision. We recommend increased pre-nup- given to this question: what conditions must be tial instruction for all such couples whether they fulfilled for the Roman Catholic Church to recognise belong to the same or to different confessions. also the validity of mixed marriages celebrated in We support every effort aimed at an objective and the Old Catholic or in the Evangelical rite? We deep study of the problems facing us in our anxiety would ask if, for the moment, the following condi­ to encourage and to give a real content to Christian tions suffice: the baptism, in a recognised form, of marriage. Let us also ask the existing commissions both partners; the absence of a diriment impedi­ for dialogue to continue their work so as to increase ment; that neither person be divorced from someone the strength of the ecumenical witness of our Chur­ still living; that each party should promise the other ches. to remain faithful * till death do us part These points do not limit the practice of marriage in the Evangelical or in the Old Catholic Church. They For the Council of the Federation of Swiss Pro­ merely circumscribe the cases in which the Roman testant Churches: Catholic Church could recognise the validity of a A. Lavanchy, President. mixed marriage celebrated in either of those chur­ ches. The Ecumenical Officer of the Swiss Roman Ca­ 4) Even in a mixed marriage the partners have to tholic Episcopal Conference: bring up their children in such a way as to make F. CHARRifeRE, Bishop. them convinced Christians. This education would never be achieved outside a determined religious allegiance. The Roman Catholic Church as well as For the Swiss Catholic-Christian Church: many other Churches ought to examine whether and U. Kury, Bishop. how the undertaking to give the children a confes­ sional education can and should be a condition of celebrating a mixed marriage. In this respect there Berne, July 19th, 1967 STATEMENT OF THE LENINGRAD MEETING Following the meeting of Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox experts at the Leningrad Theological Academy, December 9-13, 1967, the following statement was issued: From December 9th to December 13th, 1967, The general theme of the conversations was the a series of conversations between Roman Catholic social thought of the Roman Catholic Church both and Russian Orthodox experts took place at the in its historical context since the end of the 19th Leningrad Theological Academy. Their meetings century and especially in its most recent expression were the result of a proposal made by His Excel­ in the encyclicals of Pope John XXIII and Pope lency, Most Reverend John Willebrands, titular Paul VI and in the decisions of the Second Vatican Bishop of Mauriana, Secretary of the Vatican Se­ Council. The conversations took place in the Theo­ cretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, in reaction logical Academy of Leningrad at the invitation of to the report by His Eminence Nikodim, metropo­ His Eminence Metropolitan Nikodim. They were litan of Leningrad and Novgorod, President of the held with the approval of the higher authorities of Department for External Church Affairs of the the Roman Catholic Church and of the Patriarchate Moscow Patriarchate, at the Conference on Church of Moscow. and Society held in Geneva in July 1966, on " Dialogue Presiding over them were His Excellency Bishop with Roman Catholics concerning contemporary Willebrands, and His Excellency Bishop Juvenaly Christian social thought of Zaraisk, Vice-President of the Department for External Church Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchats. concelebrated by Bishop Willebrands and the other The other participants from the Russian Orthodox Catholic participants in the Roman Catholic Church Church were: Prof. Archpriest Livery Voronov, of of Leningrad dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. the Leningrad Theological Academy; Prof. Emitry Afterwards, they were all guests of the pastor of the Ogitsky, of the Moscow Theological Academy; Prof. Church, Reverend Joseph Pavilonis, in the parish Nikolas Zabolotsky, of the Leningrad Academy; house. Mr. Alexy Bouevsky, Secretary of the Department On Wednesday evening, December 13 th, the Ro­ for External Church Affairs of the Moscow Patriar­ man Catholic delegation, led by Bishop Willebrands, chate; from the Roman Catholic Church: Rt. Rev. concelebrated Holy Mass in the Church of the Lenin­ Msgr. Pietro Pavan, Professor of the Pontifical Late- grad Theological Academy, in the presence of Me­ ran University, Rome; Rt. Rev. Msgr. George Higgins, tropolitan Nikodim, Bishop Michael and the members Director of the Department of Social Action, United of the Orthodox delegation, as well as of the profes­ States Catholic Conference; Very Rev. Jean Calvez, sors and students of the Academy and of the Se­ Provincial of the Jesuits of France; Rev. John Long, minary. S. J., Assistant to the Secretary, Secretariat for On December 14th, the Roman Catholic delegation Promoting Christian Unity. travelled to Moscow. After a formal visit to the On various occasions, His Eminence Metropolitan department of External Church Affairs of the Moscow Nikodim and His Excellency Bishop Michael of Patriarchate, where the delegates were received by Tikhvin, Rector of the Leningrad Theological Aca­ Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod, President demy, took part in the conversations. of the Department, they were guests at an official The opening of the conversations took place in reception offered in their honour by His Eminence. the Assembly Hall of the Theological Academy in The same evening, in the Patriarchal residence the presence of the entire faculty and students. After of the Trinity-Sergeevsky Monastery at Zagorsk, they an address of greeting by the Most Reverend Rector were received in audience by His Holiness Alexis, Bishop Michael, His Eminence Metropolitan Nikodim Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Bishop Wille­ and His Excellency Bishop Willebrands, pronounced brands presented to His Holiness a personal letter introductory addresses explaining the character of from His Holiness Pope Paul VI. The audience was the conversations which were to take place, and marked by an extremely cordial atmosphere. Follow­ their significance. ing upon this, at the invitation of His Excellency The discussions were based on a series of expos­ Bishop Filaret of Dimitrov, Rector of the Moscow itions prepared on the following themes: 1) Social Theological Academy, they assisted at the assembly thought from Pope Leo XIII to Pope John XXIII commemorating the renowned Russian ecclesiastic (Prof. Ogitsky and Father Calvez); 2) social thought of the 19th century, Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow. of the encyclicals Mater et magistra, Pacem in terris, The members of the delegation were then guests of Populorum progressio. (Monsignor Pavan, Prof. Za­ His Holiness, Patriarch Alexis, at supper. bolotsky and Mr. Bouevsky); 3) social thought of the On December 15th, Msgr. Pietro Pavan, Msgr. Second Vatican Council (Archpriest Voronov and George Higgins and Father Jean Calvez left Moscow Monsignor Higgins). After each exposition there was for Rome. His Excellency Bishop Willebrands and a cordial and frank exchange of opinions covering Father John Long remained for a few days as guests a wide range of topics. In these discussions, parti­ of the Moscow Patriarchate in order to visit the cular attention was given to the following points: cities of Moscow, Tula and Jaroslavl to become the competence of the Church in the social field, the better acquainted with local Church life. relationship between the person — with his rights In the course of the entire visit, the Roman and duties — and society, the development of the Catholic delegation, in addition to its contacts teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on property, with the religious life of the Orthodox Church, was the experience of Christian service in diverse social able to become better acquainted with the history systems, the interior peace and the spiritual richness and cultural life of various places of the Soviet of the human person in relation to social justice Union.
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