Madam, - An article in your edition of February 27th refers to the developing area of pre-nuptial agreements. Geoffrey Shannon from the European Commission for Family Law, in supporting the practice, suggests that "most of us enter it [marriage] with a naïvety that is frightening" and that "the pre-nuptial agreement is merely a type of contract. . .whose time has come".
It may be useful to bring to the attention of those considering this approach that a pre-nuptial agreement will almost certainly invalidate a marriage in the Catholic Church, where most marriages in this country take place.
Canon Law states that the essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility. The exclusion of indissolubility by a positive act of the will, as exemplified by a pre-nuptial agreement, renders consent invalid. While this may not be an issue for civil lawyers, it may be important to their clients. - Yours, etc.,
CHRISTOPHER
McCAMLEY,
Shrewsbury Manor,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.