Dictionary
A modern dictionary of Catholic terms, both common and obscure. Find accurate definitions of words and phrases.
MATRIMONIAL JURISDICTION
The Church's divinely authorized right to determine the conditions under which baptized persons may validly and/or licitly receive the sacrament of matrimony. Part of this jurisdiction is the right to determine who may witness the marriage and, if necessary, what dispensations are to be granted.
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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