218 MARRIAGE IMPEDIMENTS 



riage not to attempt, either before or after the ceremony 

 in the Catholic Church, to have the marriage blessed by a 

 Protestant minister. 



Canon 1065 (§ 1) exhorts the faithful not to marry 

 persons who have publicly given up the faith, or joined 

 a condemned society, and (§2) forbids pastors to assist 

 at such marriages without grave reasons and the permis- 

 sion of the bishop. Lastly, canon 1066 commands pas- 

 tors not to assist at the marriage of public sinners if they 

 refuse to go to Confession, unless for a grave cause, con- 

 cerning which they should, if possible, consult the Ordi- 

 nary. 



Apart from the dispensation, other circumstances may 

 exist which may render the marriage decidedly inadvis- 

 able, or, it may be, even sinful. 



II. Nullifying or Diriment Impediments. — As the 

 word itself implies, diriment impediments (impedimenta 

 dirimentia) are such as not merely forbid a marriage bul 

 render it invalid. There are sixteen such diriment or nul- 

 lifying impediments. 



1. A substantial error with regard to a marriage is 

 usually quoted by moralists as the first diriment impedi- 

 ment. It would exist, for instance, if a man, instead 

 of marrying the woman of his choice, would by mistake 

 marry another; or if he were to make an explicit 

 condition (i. e., conditio sine qua non) to marry only a 

 rich person, or one of noble birth or well educated, 

 whereas the one actually married proved to be the con- 

 trary. If such a condition is not expressly mentioned, 

 however, or if the error concerns only accidental quali- 

 ties, the marriage is valid. Note that it is not allowed, 

 under pain of mortal sin, to marry with any condition 

 like those mentioned. For marriage, which God wants 



