CBCP: Personal vows not allowed in wedding rites

MANILA, Philippines – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) head on January 4 said that couples are not allowed to write their own Catholic wedding vows.

CBCP President, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in response to the questions of some couples preparing for weddings, emphasizing that the Rite of Marriage does not provide an option for them to publicly express their love in their own words.

Villegas said personal spiritual expressions “should not be mixed with the liturgies of the Church.”

“Mixing personal pious devotions with the liturgy could confuse, remove or diminish the focus of the action of Christ Himself in the liturgical action. The liturgy is not ours to change at whim,” Villegas said.

He cited a provision of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, which stated that only the Vatican can solely decide on the regulation of the “sacred liturgy” but bishops’ conferences may also regulate on limited instances.

“Hence, no other person, not even a priest may add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority,” Villegas said.

“Based on these norms, the idea of pronouncing personal vows inserted within the wedding liturgy must not be allowed,” he added.

Since according to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, personal wedding vows are not allowed, Villegas suggested that couples who want to publicly express themselves to read their own vows at the wedding reception instead.

“Let us not compromise the sacred character of the wedding rites on the altar of romanticism,” Villegas said.