Vatican City, Apr 4, 2017 / 04:53 am
On Tuesday Pope Francis approved a way for priests of the Society of St. Pius X to witness marriages validly, which had not been the case previously because they lacked the faculties to do so.
Through a letter dated March 27 and published April 4, the Pope has given diocesan bishops or other local ordinaries the authorization to grant priests of the SSPX the ability to celebrate licitly and validly the marriages of the faithful who follow the Society's pastoral activity.
The letter, signed by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, indicates that "insofar as possible" a diocesan or other fully regular priest is to "receive the consent of the parties during the marriage rite, followed, in keeping with the liturgy of the Vetus ordo, by the celebration of Mass, which may be celebrated by a priest of the Society."
But where that "is not possible, or if there are no priests in the Diocese able to receive the consent of the parties, the Ordinary may grant the necessary faculties to the priest of the Society who is also to celebrate the Holy Mass."