§ 4. On marriages entered with heretics and unbelievers

531. Another and indeed disastrous danger of perversion in faith is mixed marriages, of which Pius IX says: "All know what the Catholic Church herself has constantly thought about marriages of this kind between Catholics and non-Catholics, since she has always disapproved them and held them as illicit and plainly pernicious, both on account of shameful communication in divine things, and on account of the impending danger of perversion for the Catholic spouse, and on account of the depraved education of offspring."⁸³ - But to avoid greater evils, e.g. concubinage, Holy Mother Church sometimes tolerates mixed marriages, certain cautions having been employed by which the proximate danger of perversion is removed. About these cautions (which are: a serious and trustworthy promise that all offspring to be born be educated in the Catholic faith, and that the Catholic party be able freely to exercise his or her religion) there will be a broader discussion in the treatise on marriage, III 784 sqq.

The Church by her laws established the following for preventing mixed marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics: a) marriage between a Catholic and a non-baptized unbeliever is null (the diriment impediment of disparity of cult); b) marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic is gravely illicit (the prohibiting impediment of mixed religion), unless a legitimate dispensation has preceded; c) if, after marriage has already been contracted, one spouse falls away from the true faith and slips into heresy or apostasy, divorce as to bed and habitation is permitted.⁸⁴ He who enters a mixed marriage without due dispensation of the Church or without the due cautions being seriously furnished sins gravely and is excluded from legitimate ecclesiastical acts (e.g. from the function of sponsor) and sacramentals;^84a but he who enters such a marriage before a non-Catholic minister incurs excommunication reserved to the Ordinary.⁸⁵

Note. In some regions there exists a laudable use that every year on the Sunday when the Gospel about the wedding at Cana is read, a special instruction be had for the Christian people about the dangers of mixed marriage. Confessors and pastors of souls should strive to deter the faithful from mixed marriages and in giving religious instructions should often speak about the dangers of those marriages.⁸⁶

⁸³ Instruction, November 15, 1858 (Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 1169).

⁸⁴ Cod. iur. can. c. 1131, § 1.

^84a Ib. c. 2375.

⁸⁵ Ib. c. 2319, § 1, n. 1.

⁸⁶ Ib. c. 1064.

532. Scholion. On certain internal dangers of faith. Besides external dangers of faith there also exist internal harms, of which the principal are: pride and an unregulated life.

1. That pride very much obstructs faith can easily be understood; for faith, as being the argument of things not appearing, requires humble subjection of the will and intellect, which indeed is most difficult for a proud man. Hence we see simple and pious men often have a more lively faith than the wise of this world, who not rarely in supernatural matters favor agnosticism rather than faith. Likewise from history it is established that even most learned theologians have lost the true faith through pride.

2. That an unregulated life weakens true faith appears from the fact that faith threatens most severe penalties to those who transgress the commandments of God. Furthermore, those threats greatly torture the sinner, who therefore tries to drive them away by doubting about faith or even by wholly denying revealed truths. Since these things are so, it is obvious why in our times men so numerous, given over to vices and pleasures, have suffered shipwreck in faith. St. John Chrysostom⁸⁷ speaks about this matter in these excellent words: "Faith has need of the help of the Holy Spirit and of perseverance, so that it may remain unshaken. But the help of the Spirit is accustomed to be retained among us by purity of life and uprightness of morals. Wherefore, if we desire to have faith deeply rooted, we have need of a pure manner of living, which retains the Spirit of God, on whom it is established that the whole force of faith depends; for it is certainly impossible, if you lead a wicked life, not to waver in faith. And that you may know this to be true, namely that evil works vehemently impede the strength of faith, hear what Paul says writing to Timothy: 'That thou mayest war in them a good warfare, having faith and a good conscience [but a good conscience is obtained through a pious life and good works], which [good conscience] some, he says, rejecting, have made shipwreck concerning the faith.'⁸⁸ And again elsewhere: 'The root of all evils is cupidity, which some seeking have erred from the faith.'⁸⁹ You see that both those men made shipwreck on that account, and these wandered away on account of this very thing, because the former rejected a good conscience, but the latter adhered to cupidity. Thinking upon all these things, we should have great care for arranging life as excellently as possible, so that a double reward may come to us: one from the recompense of works, the other from the strength of faith. For as nourishment is related to the body, so a right life is related to faith; and just as the nature of our flesh cannot endure without nourishment, so neither can faith without good works."

⁸⁷ Homily on the words of the Apostle (Migne, Patr. graec. 51, 280 sq.).

⁸⁸ 1 Tim. 1, 18 sq.

⁸⁹ 1 Tim. 6, 10.