114. What is a civil marriage?

A civil marriage is a marriage before a magistrate or judge according to the dictates and procedures of civil law. The commitments assumed in a civil marriage are binding for all citizens regardless of creed.

115. Are persons who marry in the Catholic church also married according to the law?

Catholic priests who perform marriages in Trinidad and Tobago also act on behalf of the state once the necessary approvals have been obtained. Persons who marry in the Catholic Church are thus also married according to the law.

116. Are Catholics who are civilly married without receiving the sacrament of matrimony really married?

Even though they may have been "married" before a magistrate or judge in a civil marriage, they are not married in the eyes of God. Only through the sacrament of matrimony can married love between Catholics receive God's blessing and acceptance.

117. Can Catholics who are only civilly married receive the sacraments?

Catholics who contract only a civil union have little understanding of their faith and the Christian way of life and have strayed from the Church in an essential aspect of Christian living. Because of this, while their situation endures, Catholics who are only civilly married cannot receive the sacraments.

118. What should Catholics in this situation do?

Catholics who are only civilly married who wish to continue living together permanently should speak to the parish priest or the Catholic priest closest to them. They should explain their situation, seek deeper instruction about their faith and endeavour to make their union holy through the sacrament of matrimony.

119. What are common law unions?

These are unions formed by a man and a woman who decide to live together and to have and raise children without contracting marriage. These situations often result from a poor and erroneous understanding of marriage that in some cases is brought on by specific social or cultural circumstances.

Though the causes of these situations are often complex, these unions are contrary to the moral law. They weaken the sense of fidelity and admit the sexual act between persons who have not publicly exchanged their formal consent to be united by God until death.

120. How can these situations be avoided?

It is necessary in each case to investigate the causes in order to remedy them. In general, it is necessary to promote the education of young people, showing them the great benefits of fidelity, marriage and family, and the advantage of building stable homes. In addition, the Church and the state should endeavour to provide more accessible and wide reaching pastoral and legal services for marriage.