Permissibility of marriages between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians under canon law

Abstract

The views of Canon Law on mixed marriages have recently changed and this paper takes a look at some selected issues of a mixed marriage under that law. In particular, the permissibility of a marriage between a Catholic and an Orthodox is analysed from the point of view of the currently binding Latin and Eastern Catholic law. The attitude of the Church to Catholic-Orthodox marriages has been changing over the centuries, and until recently mixed marriages have been regulated by the provisions of the Code of Canon Law of 1983. Those provisions have now been substantially amended, but two important questions still remain unanswered: (i) what is the nature of the prohibition to conclude a mixed marriage under the Code of Canon Law of 1983 and (ii) is a Catholic-Orthodox marriage permitted?