The Pauline Privilege and other Privileges

Pauline privilege maybe briefly defined as the right which a non-baptized person who has
contracted a marriage with another non-baptized person enjoys upon his or her reception of
baptism to enter into a new marriage provided the non-Christian party departs.

For the use of Pauline privilege the following conditions are to be fulfilled:
1) Marriage must have been between two non-baptized persons.

Authors commonly teach that no Pauline privilege can be applied in the case of a validly
baptized Christian who is married to a non-christian and who wants to become a catholic.
2) One of the Partners receives baptism
Pauline privilege can be used only if one of the partners receives baptism.

3) The spouse who has not received baptism departs from the converted party without the
latter’s fault.

Formal physical departure - is verified when the non-baptised party refuses to live with the
baptized person for any reason whatsoever

Material physical departure - is verified when the non the non-baptized party cannot or do
not continue to live with the baptized party.

Moral departure – is verified when the non-christian party wishes to live with the baptized
party, but without serious danger of grave sin against faith and morals of the baptized party.

4) Interpellation is a juridically authorised act by which the spouse who is not baptized is asked
whether he or she desires to receive baptism or whether he or she is willing to live with his or her
partner without his or her serious danger of grave sin against faith and morals.

Interpellation can be made in three forms:

1) Judicial form
2) Extrajudicial Form can be the
-Epistolary form
-Oral form
3) Private Form
Other Privileges

When an unbaptized man who simultaneously has a number of un-baptized wives, has received
baptism in the Catholic Church, if it would be a hardship for him to remain with the first of the
wives, he may retain one of them, having dismissed the others.

An unbaptized person who, having received in the Catholic Church cannot re-establish
cohabitation with his or her unbaptised spouse by reason of captivity or persecution, can contract
another marriage, even if the other party has in the meantime received baptism, without prejudice
to the principle that ratified and consummated marriage cannot be dissolved.