ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚĆ ODSZKODOWAWCZA DUCHOWNEGO Z POWODU NARUSZENIA PRAWA PRZY ZAWIERANIU MAŁŻEŃSTWA
Date
2002
Authors
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Wydział Prawa i Administracji UAM
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CLERGYMAN’S LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES FOLLOWING A BREACH OF THE LAW WHEN CONTRACTING A MARRIAGE
Abstract
The author lists a clergyman’s possible transgressions that can occur when contracting
a marriage, as well as the effects of such transgressions upon the couple contracting the marriage.
Additionally, the author touches upon the issue of the liability for damages of the clergyman and
those addressed by a claim for damages.Practice shows that the most common negligence o f clergymen when administering a marriage
under the concordat terms is to exceed the 5-day deadline for submitting the documentation to
the registry office. This time has been defined normatively as the final deadline and keeping it is
therefore a prerequisite for the conclusion of any civil marriage before a clergyman. If, however,
force majeure makes this deadline impossible to keep, then the clergyman should hand in the
documents at a later date, mentioning the cause for the delay. This allows the head of the registry
office to issue a marriage certificate. However, i f the clergyman fails to provide sufficient explanation
for the delay, then the head of the registry office refuses to issue a marriage certificate and
notifies the interested parties about this fact (art. 7 point 2 of Polish Civil Register Act). Only the
Regional Court considering a motion or appeal from the decision can assess the provided explanation
for the delay.
A marriage before the head of registry office is contracted following the appropriate statements
made by the couple (art. 7 § 4 of the Polish Family and Guardianship Code). In the view of
this legal construction of a marriage, the requirement to draw up a certificate o f marriage when
a marriage is contracted under the concordat terms, is in a certain way discordant. The strict
character o f the five-day final deadline makes this discord even greater, as it further impedes the
contraction of a marriage, even in the case of a minor delay.
If the deadline served only the purpose of procedural order regulation, then the prerequisites
to issue a certificate of marriage could be met more easily. In any way, also under the current
regulations i f a certificate of marriage is issued despite a delay, then the prerequisites for the
contraction of a marriage are met and the thus contracted religious marriage is recognized as valid
under the Polish law.
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Citation
Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny 64, 2002, z. 2, s. 165-177.
Seria
ISBN
ISSN
0035-9629