of their parents, are invalid, and that parents can make such marriages either valid or invalid; nevertheless, the holy Church of God has, for most just reasons, at all times detested and prohibited them. But, whereas the holy synod perceives that those prohibitions, by reason] of men's disobedience, no longer avail; and whereas it takes into account the grievous sins which arise from the said clandestine marriages, and especially the sins of those parties who continue in a state of damnation, when, having left their former wife, with whom they had privily contracted marriage, they publicly marry another, and live with her in perpetual adultery; an evil which the Church, which judges not of things hidden, cannot rectify, unless some more efficacious remedy be applied; therefore, treading in the footsteps of the sacred Council of Lateran, celebrated under Innocent II., it ordains that, for the future, before a marriage is contracted, it shall three times be announced publicly in the church, by the proper parish priest of the contracting parties, during the solemnization of mass, on three continuous festival days, between whom marriage is to be celebrated; after which banns being published, if there be no lawful impediment opposed, the marriage shall be proceeded with in the face or the church; where the parish priest, after having questioned the man and the woman, and having learnt their mutual consent, shall either say, "I join you together in matrimony, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" or shall use other words, according to the received rite of each province. But if there should at any time be a probable suspicion that the marriage may be maliciously hindered, if so many publications of banns have preceded it; in this case either one publication only shall be made; or at least the marriage shall be celebrated in the presence of the parish priest, and of two or three witnesses. Then, before the consummation thereof, the banns shall be published in the church; that so, if there be privily any impediments, they may the more easily be discovered: unless the ordinary shall himself judge it to be expedient, that the publications aforesaid be dispensed with, which the holy synod leaves to his prudence and judgment. Those who shall attempt to contract marriage otherwise than in the presence of the parish priest, or of some other priest
