It says in 1992 the marriage rate was 18.3 couples per 1000 people eligible to marry. That includes those who formed a civil union from 2005.

This rate dropped to 10.9 couples in 2017.

Statistics New Zealand says the highest number of marriages and civil unions in the last 25 years was in 2008.

In that year, 22,275 couples married.

It says the lowest number was in 2013, when 19,425 tied the knot.

Auckland marriage celebrant, Aaron Bloomfield, says there are two main types of people who marry in New Zealand.

The first is young ones intending to marry and have children by age 30. He says they are over 25 with their lives in order.

The second broad group comprises generation X and Y who live as married couples but without the paperwork.

Generations X and Y describe people born between 1960-1980 and 1980-1990 respectively.

Of the youngsters, he says, "They usually get married the same time as their peers and I often see the same faces at multiple weddings over the same wedding season."

The older ones from generations X and Y, he says, have already built their family.

"They date for about a year, move in together, purchase a home, trial raising a fur baby together, and one day they realise they've got it made and decided to go official."

Divorce rates fall

The divorce rate has also fallen, according to official statistics.

Statistics NZ measures the divorce rate as the number of divorces per 1,000 existing marriages.

In 2017, 8,001 couples divorced.

That gave a divorce rate of 8.4.

In 1992, 9,114 couples divorced, giving a rate of 11.9.

The decrease in the divorce rate coincides with a fall in the number of children affected by divorce.

The same lower marriage trend is also evident in Britain and Australia.

Source

• NZ Herald
• Statistics New Zealand
• Image: NZ Herald

The reason: The priest who officiated at their wedding in 1970 did not sign the marriage contract and did not submit the documents to the Office of the Civil Registrar. Continue reading

The registrar-general of births, deaths and marriages Jeff Montgomery has approved the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as an organisation to solemnise marriages.

Massey University professor of history Peter Lineham has questioned the decision by the registrar-general and said he struggled to find any over-arching philosophy other than satirical intent.

The Church of the Fly Spaghetti Monster's chief office-bearer and 10 members applied in November.

The application was approved under a sub-section of the Marriages Act, satisfying the registrar-general that the principal object of the organisation was to uphold or promote religious beliefs, philosophical or humanitarian convictions.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is based on a belief in an airborne god formed from spaghetti and meatballs.

Adherents of the church wear colanders on their heads and describe their religion as "pastafarianism".

"I really think the registrar-general needs to answer. I am not at all convinced there's a genuine statement of values," Lineham says.

"[Historically] the New Zealand Government has been very coy about recognising religion."

"If you take Scientology, New Zealand was more cautious in its treatment than Australia and Scientology was certainly very slow to gain recognition for marriage celebrants and for tax purpose."

"I know some people who think The Force is rather more meaningful than a spaghetti monster."

"I am startled and I think the registrar has some explaining to do."

Montgomery said the purposes set out by the church were educating and training people, particularly atheists and superstitious people, about Flying Spaghetti principles and practices.

Those principles covered human rights, cultural and spiritual diversity, ethics, relieving poverty and advancing education.

"In considering the matter I have referred to the Objects of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, reviewed material available online about this organisation and considered other organisations already able to nominate marriage celebrants."

"A review of media and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster's international website show a consistent presentation of their philosophies."

"While some claim this is a 'parody organisation', members have rebutted this on a number of occasions."

New Zealand law does not define religious, or philosophical, organisations eligible for approval to perform marriages.

Most organisations approved to perform marriages are faith-based and cluster around well-known religious views.

However, alternative philosophies have been granted official licensing capabilities, including yoga, Wicca, Scientology, Heathen, Druidism, Humanism and Reiki spiritual healing.

"As registrar-general it is my role to apply the relevant legislation."

"In this case, my decision can only be based on whether the organisation upholds or promotes religious beliefs, or philosophical or humanitarian convictions."

"No judgment is made on the validity of those beliefs or convictions."

The chief office bearer in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the Top Ramen, said this was just the first step; they now need to to nominate marriage celebrants for approval before they can start conducting weddings.

According to the Ramen, who, for earthly reasons wishes to remain anonymous, the church has thousands of followers, although membership is not yet recognised in the census.

"We are a bona fide church, and our people do like to get married, some of them several times," she told Morning Report.

"We like to have baptisms and babies and celebrations and divorces, and it's always nice to have official marriage celebrants to preside over these celebrations.

"Churches are all about communities and celebrations."

There are around 2000 independent celebrants, 6000 organisational celebrants and more than 700 organisations approved to perform marriages in New Zealand.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: radionz.co.nz

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said in an interview with La Civilta Cattolica that the bishops at next month's synod on the family should not take a stance that highlights failure.

Rather they should adopt "a benevolent gaze that sees how much good will and how much effort there is even in the midst of much suffering".

The next step, he said, is not to pretend that everything in all those situations is fine, but to help Catholics build on what is good, growing in holiness and faithfulness to God and to each other.

The cardinal said a civil marriage is better than simply living together, because it signifies a couple has made a formal, public commitment to one another.

"Instead of talking about everything that is missing, we can draw close to this reality, noting what is positive in this love that is establishing itself."

Cardinal Schönborn spoke about a gay friend of his who, after many temporary relationships, is now in a stable relationship.

"It's an improvement," he said.

They share "a life, they share their joys and sufferings, they help one another".

"It must be recognised that this person took an important step for his own good and the good of others, even though it certainly is not a situation the Church can consider ‘regular'."

The Church's negative "judgment about homosexual acts is necessary", the cardinal said, "but the Church should not look in the bedroom first, but in the dining room! It must accompany people."

Pastoral accompaniment "cannot transform an irregular situation into a regular one", he added.

"But there do exist paths for healing, for learning", for moving gradually closer to a situation in compliance with Church teaching.

Cardinal Schönborn said this approach did not dilute Church teaching.

Sources

• Catholic Herald
• Images: Le Figaro

Ireland is to have a referendum on legal same-sex marriage next month.

If the bishops' warning comes to pass, it would mean couples married in the Catholic Church in Ireland would have to go elsewhere to have their union legally recognised by the state.

Currently, the signing of a Marriage Registration Form, a civil document, takes place after wedding services in Irish Catholic churches.

The priest, as "solemniser", as well as witnesses and the married couple must sign the form.

This form is returned to a local registrar before a marriage certificate is obtained.

A spokesperson for the bishops said priests probably wouldn't have a problem with dropping the civil aspects of church weddings.

Martin Long said: "If the referendum is passed the Church's view and the state's view of marriage will be radically different.

"It's reasonable that the bishops may decide to separate the two."

Fr Brendan Hoban from the Association of Catholic Priests said that he had heard suggestions that the Church would refuse to carry out the civil role "in a huff".

But Fr Hoban didn't think it would happen.

He said: "Why would it bother? It would be unnecessary.

"You're only making it difficult and more expensive on these couples. I wouldn't expect to see it."

The bishops had warned in 2013 that any change in the definition of marriage would mean the Church wouldn't co-operate with the civil aspects of marriage.

About 4121 of the 5461 people registered as "wedding solemnisers" in Ireland are Catholic priests.

There are only 107 civil registers so the move by the Church would result in a significant delay for couples getting their marriage legally recognised by the state.

Mr Long said that guidelines for dioceses would be considered at a meeting of the Bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family later this month.

Sources

• Irish Times
• Image: crimmigrationexperts.com

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia urged the US bishops to consider this in response to what he called the "new marriage regime" of same-sex civil marriage.

In a lecture in New York on October 20, Archbishop Chaput said he wasn't necessarily endorsing that move yet, the Religion News Service reported.

But "in the spirit of candour encouraged by Pope Francis", he said the American bishops should "discuss and consider it as a real course of action".

By long-standing practice, US Catholic priests act as agents of the state when signing a couple's marriage certificate.

"It's hard to see how a priest or bishop could, in good conscience, sign a marriage certificate that merely identifies ‘Spouse A' and `Spouse B,' " Archbishop Chaput said.

"Refusing to conduct civil marriages now, as a matter of principled resistance, has vastly more witness value than being kicked out of the marriage business later by the government, which is a likely bet," he said.

Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court decided not to review state appeals against gay marriage.

Archbishop Chaput said this was a "tipping point" that confirmed that traditional believers are now a minority in society and on the defensive.

More than 30 US states now allow same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Chaput also expressed concerns about "confusion" coming out of the synod on the family.

"I was very disturbed by what happened" at the synod, Archbishop Chaput said.

"I think confusion is of the devil, and I think the public image that came across was one of confusion."

Archbishop Chaput said the final synod report was an improvement on a preliminary report.

But he was still concerned that it did not go far enough in clearly restating Church teachings on marriage and homosexuality.

Archbishop Chaput is expected to host Pope Francis in Philadelphia next September for a World Meeting of Families.

Sources

• Religion News Service
• Image: Thomas More Prep Marian