Catholic priests may have resorted to celebrating online masses due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but having virtual weddings is a different story.
Balanga, Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos stressed that the Sacrament of Matrimony requires physical presence.
“It is a contract between two physical persons, not virtual with priest and godparents as minister and witnesses,” he said in an interview.
“For validity, the godparents, priests as well as witnesses must be physically present with contracting party: husband and wife to sign in front of each other to make the contract, celebration of matrimony valid. So virtual marriage does not give validity to marriage,” added Santos.
A former official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Family and Life also echoed what the prelate said.
“In the dispensation of Sacraments, the dispensers and recipients of the sacraments need to be physically present. That’s the very nature of the sacraments, actual presence of the people,” Father Melvin Castro of the Diocese of Tarlac said.
“Just to be exact, in the Sacrament of Matrimony, it is the spouses that are considered ministers of the sacrament. But for it to be valid a priest, deacon or bishop need to stand as the canonical witness and solemnizing officer, aside from two other witnesses,” he added.
“In Civil Law, they legislate that. But in Canon Law, the spouses, priest, deacon or bishop and at least two witnesses need to be physically present,” said Castro.
For his part, Father Jerome Secillano of the CBCP Public Affairs Committee said allowing virtual union diminishes the essence and dignity of marriage itself.
He said the inability to contract matrimony in this time of pandemic should also not be made as an excuse for changing laws on marriage.
“Marriage can wait. And if couples are truly for it, there will always be a proper time for its celebration,” said Secillano.
Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo on June 30 filed House Bill 7042, which seeks to allow virtual marriage with the use of video, audio and data transmission devices.
Under the bill, the male and female spouses to be wed would be together in the same location but their presence before the solemnizing officer would be remote or virtual.
According to Salo, the current COVID-19 pandemic has caused the postponement and cancellation of many wedding ceremonies because of the prohibition on mass gatherings, observance of physical distancing and the health risks posed to everyone, particularly to the solemnizing officers who are oftentimes senior citizens.(Leslie Ann Aquino)