Part IIIa SupplementMatrimonyQuestion 50
Impediments to Matrimony
- What hinders or prevents a marriage between certain personsis called an impediment. Some impediments hinder marriage;they prevent it if it has not yet been contracted, yet do notdissolve it if it has already occurred. Other impedimentsabsolutely prevent marriage between the parties, thus making itimpossible for them to enter upon a valid contract of marriage, atleast without dispensation. The first type of impediment is calledprohibiting; the second type is called *diriment.*The word diriment means “utterlydestroying.”
Full Summa Text · III Suppl., Q. 50
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