Arcidiocesi di Sorrento/Castellammare di Stabia
Curia Arcivescovile

Press release

It is necessary to relay the following information regarding the celebration of marriage sacrament on the island of Capri and in all of the Archdiocese of Sorrento/Castellammare:
1. The Catholic Church considers marriage an important sacrament that is celebrated by the bride and groom with full knowledge of the gifts of grace and the commitment of faithfulness and the indissolubility of the marriage.
2. The celebration of marriage in the church involves full acceptance of the Christian vision, which is realized and experienced through a long walk of faith and the spiritual preparation leading to marriage.
3. The normal location of the celebration of Christian nuptials is the parish community to which the bridge and groom belong and to which their life mission comes from: the new family finds itself vitally inserted in the parish community as in a true ecclesiastical family.
4. In light of consideration one recognizes the difficulty, sometimes insurmountable, inherent in the request of religious marriage celebrations in which:
a. brevity of time prior to the ceremony does not allow the adequate preparation of the couple relative to the liturgical celebration;
b. diversity of legislation and/or judicial position of the couple impedes the serious evaluation of the requested documents and of the disposition of the wedding couple;
c. elements are missing which consent to the respectful celebration of the dignity of the marriage sacrament.
5. Keeping in mind that such difficulties are mostly concentrated in cases of marriages between couples coming from other nations and from other continents and, after hearing from the church officials of the increased objective difficulty presented, this office has taken a provisory disposition for a congruous time determined to recall attention to the ecclesiastical dimension and sacrament of marriage to oversee not only from a purly legalcanonical stand but also under the spiritualpastoral profile.
6. The difficulty created for tourism, commericial and cultural purposes is noted and respected; however is it too much to ask that the pastoral and ecclesiastical positions be respected and given precedence? On this basis, the dialogue is possible as long as there is clarity and availability to accept the inherent Christian values in the right of matrimony.