The BBC reports today that The Church of England is to issue new guidance to clergy in an attempt to reduce the number of sham marriages.
In future, couples will have to apply for a licence if either the bride or groom is from a non-European country.
Members of the clergy are also being urged to report any suspicions they have that the marriage is not genuine.
Over the past nine months, 155 people have been arrested in the UK as a result of investigations into both church and civil ceremonies.
The new guidance advises clergy not to publish banns – where a couple’s intention to marry is read out in church – for marriages involving a man or a woman from a non-European country.
Instead, it says couples should apply for a “common licence”, which involves the swearing of affidavits and classes.
The guidance issued by the House of Bishops – one of three houses in the General Synod – has UK Border Agency agreement.
It says if a member of the clergy is not satisfied that the marriage is genuine, he or she must make that clear to the person responsible for granting the licence.
Clergy should “immediately” report a couple to diocesan legal officers if they insist on having banns read rather than applying for a common licence under the guidance.
‘Right direction’
The Church said clergy who refuse to conduct a wedding as a result of the guidance would not be considered guilty of misconduct.
Vicars have also been urged to contact the police immediately should they feel they are being threatened or pressured to carry out a marriage.
The Right Reverend John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, said: “The House of Bishops is clear that the office of holy matrimony must not be misused by those who have no intention of contracting a genuine marriage.
“The purpose of this guidance and direction from the bishops to the clergy and to those responsible for the grant of common licences is, therefore, to prevent the contracting of sham marriages in the Church of England,” he said.
More at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13044322