Petrine Privilege

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Petrine Privilege or a decree in favor of the faith is a provision in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church granting a previously married person the right to marry under certain specific circumstances. The implementation of this procedure is reserved to The Pope. It involves the circumstance where one of the parties in the marriage is unbaptized and the other is baptized. If either party wants to become Catholic or wants to marry a Catholic the first marriage can be dissolved, permitting the person to become Catholic or to marry a Catholic. Thus, the Pope may act in favor of the Catholic faith. Another example may be that a Protestant who is married to an unbaptized man falls in love with a Catholic. The Pope may dissolve the marriage of the Protestant to facilitate his or her marriage to the Catholic. This is done in favor of the faith of his or her Catholic fiancé.

See also: Pauline privilege