GETTING MARRIED IN ITALY

Getting Married in Italy;
Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

By Catherine Smibert

ROME, JUNE 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Marrying in the heart of Christendom is just a dream to many Catholics, but one that can become a reality too. I know because I just did it.

May 28 saw me exchanging vows in a medieval basilica built on foundation stones laid by St. Peter and blessed by Pope John Paul II: the ancient cathedral of the Sabine valley.

The occasion and locale had a number of highlights. The locale boasted a variety of holy relics, as well as exquisite architecture and artwork — all set off by the flora of the surrounding countryside.

And all this and more could be yours, if you are willing to do the bureaucratic work.

Foreigners wishing to marry in Italy should contact the Italian authorities via their nation’s embassy about the legal requirements. Embassy Web sites have pages dedicated to this aspect.

Though a little tough, all procedures are actually easier when neither of the spouses-to-be is Italian. Since my new husband is Roman, we had to follow an extra detailed “to do” list in order to be wed.

We had to participate in a six-week marriage preparation course (not a bad idea, really) at Mirko’s local parish, regardless of our own outside spiritual preparations. Only then could our marriage banns be published. And they had to be posted up to two weeks in his parish and the one I grew up in Australia.

These announcements had also to be drawn up separately by the state and posted for extended viewing periods in local government offices.

By contrast, two non-Italians marrying would only have to produce written statements for the bride and groom, testifying that they were free to enter into marriage in the Catholic Church. Such couples would then only need to have their religious certificate stamped to make it internationally recognized.

An American friend who married here last year, Andrea Kirk Assaf, told me: “I had no model to follow, but my research led me to two wonderful Web sites — that of my embassy and of the American church in Rome, Santa Susanna’s.”

Indeed, Santa Susanna’s, along with places such as the Irish
College, specializes in Rome weddings for English-speakers. The former even offers particular assistance with the Vatican itself.

The Vatican is even easier in some ways. Wherever you are married in Rome, the wedding requires both civil and ecclesiastical authorization, while at the Vatican they are combined.

If you cannot get to Rome for your holy union, you can still benefit from papal blessings, either in parchment or in person.

We were fortunate to have parchment blessings from both Pope John Paul II (having placed our request prior to his passing) and then Benedict XVI, as well as a personalized telegram from the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, on behalf of the new Holy Father.

These can be ordered via the Ufficio delle Benedizione (Blessings Office) via fax (39-06-698-83132). Or for more information, you can call 39-06-698-83133.