Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume II › Book III. On the Aids of the Christian Life, or on the Sacraments › Treatise VIII. On Matrimony › Dissertation II. On Matrimony Itself › Part II. On Matrimony, Insofar as It Is a Sacrament, Particularly › Section III. On the Reception of the Sacrament of Marriage › Chapter III. On Diriment Impediments in Particular

Article — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

Article XIII. Legal Relationship

802.

I. The notion was explained in n. 760.

II. Existence of the impediment. Those who by civil law are held incapable of entering nuptials between themselves because of legal relationship arising from adoption cannot, by force of canon law, validly contract marriage between themselves (canon 1080). In order to know whether and between whom this impediment exists, recourse must be had to the civil laws of the country, and the matter must be decided according to their norm.

The diriment impediment is in force in Italy, Spain, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru.1

1 Wernz-Vidal, op. cit., n. 191; Aertnys-Damen, op. cit., II, n. 771.

Adoption