Defects of Faith and the Invalid of a Marriage

Abstract

Marriage is a sacrament when it is entered into between two baptized persons. Does this mean, then, that it does not really matter in what disposition a given person gets married and that the fact of practicing the faith has no meaning whatsoever in relation to the validity of a marriage? Contemporary jurisprudence quite clearly defines the sacramentality of marriage in isolation from the fact of having faith and the intention to celebrate a sacramental marriage. Of course, from a pastoral point of view, deepening the faith should be a condition for contracting marriage. Moreover, a lack of faith certainly prevents the full enjoyment of the fruits of the sacrament, which becomes an unquestionable pastoral problem. However, does the lack of faith on the part of the contractor prevent him from entering into a valid marriage and, most importantly, is it possible to exclude the sacramentality of marriage with regard to its dignity in the case of a person deprived of the grace of faith? This article is an attempt to answer these questions.