The Celebration of Marriage Coram Assistente Laico (C. 1112)

Introduced after the Second Vatican Council, the norm permitting the lay person to be a qualified witness of marriage entered in the canonical form has not been yet further elaborated in Polish canonist literature. This study seeks to fill this gap in the Polish canonist literature. The first part of the presentation is devoted to the development of the norm in post-conciliar legislation before the promulgation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. The next part presents the conditions for the delegation of a lay person to assist at marriage in accordance with canon 1112: a lack of priests and deacons, consent of the diocesan bishop with the favourable vote of the conference of bishops and the permission of the Holy See. The last addressed issue is the duties of delegated lay persons in connection with their task to prepare the intending parties for marriage, to verify their ability to conclude it, to preside over the ritual, and to record this fact in church documentation.