Greg Daly
A streamlined form for Irish couples getting married can finally be rolled-out having been delayed for almost two years over confusion about whether the move needed Vatican approval or not.
A decision was made some years ago to make the mandatory Pre-Nuptial Enquiry Form more accessible for priests and would-be spouses. Diocesan representatives met in Maynooth in May 2014 to approve the new format, which updated a previous form that had been in use for more than 20 years.
The Irish Catholic understands the committee had sought to streamline the form, completed by all engaged people seeking marriage within the Church, to make it easier to understand, with questions reworded to help applicants give better answers and to more clearly flag when special permissions are needed.
The launch of the new form was scheduled for the first Sunday of Advent 2014, with the intention that it fully supplant the current form by St Patrick’s Day 2015.
Recognitio
Plans were, however, put on hold just weeks later despite thousands of forms having been printed by Veritas and training sessions for clergy scheduled, as a decision was made to seek a formal recognitio for the form from the Holy See.
Such approval would not have been necessary for dioceses acting individually, but is expected by Rome when bishops’ conferences act collectively as is the case in Ireland.
“Recognitio has been granted and it is a work in progress,” a spokesperson for the bishops’ conference told The Irish Catholic. This will now allow the warehoused forms to be distributed and fresh implementation dates are now expected.