Catholic Royals

[Isabel]

Permission from Vatican? I didn't know that she had to have a permission.

Well, it's kind of complicated. I personally don't know about having direct permission from the Vatican, but marriage for Catholics is considered to be a sacrament. If you marry someone outside of the Catholic faith the Church may still accept your marriage as a sacrament. However, it usually means that the two parties have to be married in a Catholic ceremony. In Maxima's case she and Willem-Alexander were not married in a complete Catholic ceremony, but there was a representative from the Catholic Church that participated in the service itself. I would not think that this person would do that if it were not allowed by the Church, therefore it is possible that the Vatican does accept Maxima's marriage as a sacrament. I minored in theology in college and I must say that the Catholic rules for marriage and sacraments were always fascinating to me because there were so many variations. Here's one of my favorite sites. It is very reputable and usually has good and reliable information.

Can Non-Catholics Receive the Catholic Sacrament of Matrimony?*|*Catholic Exchange

 

[pamk]

I believe that the Duke of Kent's grandson - the son of the Earl of St. Andrews - converted to Catholicism. His mother has always been Catholic.

 

[giov]

What about Queen Silvia? Is she Catholic?

 

[Isabel]

I believe that the Duke of Kent's grandson - the son of the Earl of St. Andrews - converted to Catholicism. His mother has always been Catholic.

Are you referring to Lord Downpatrick? His mother is Silvana Tomaselli and she is Catholic.

I believe that Lord Nicholas Windsor also converted several years after his mother.

 

[Furienna]

What about Queen Silvia? Is she Catholic?

I don't know. She's half Brazilian, of course, but I've never heard, that she was Catholic.

 

[JulieS]

I believe that Lord Nicholas Windsor also converted several years after his mother.

Lord Nicholas Windsor converted in 2001 and he married in Vatican in 2006.

 

[giov]

I don't know. She's half Brazilian, of course, but I've never heard, that she was Catholic.

Thanks Furienna!
I have also found more infos here:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...-royalty-discussion-and-questions-8936-4.html

 

[februarybreeze]

Roman Catholic Royal Families

I am following royal families for almost a year now, and one of my observation is that royals are not catholic. I don't know if i am correct.

 

[Nice Nofret]

The Spanish, Italian, some of the Germans, the French royal Families are RC

 

[An Ard Ri]

I am following royal families for almost a year now, and one of my observation is that royals are not catholic. I don't know if i am correct.

The Spanish,Belgian,Luxembourg & Princely Family of Monaco are all Roman Catholics.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Other Roman Catholic Royals ;

Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands,Princess Irene of the Netherlands,Princess Cristina of the Netherlands.

Princess Michael of Kent & The Duchess of Kent in the British Royal Family .

 

[februarybreeze]

Catholic Wedding

If they are catholics, does their wedding a regular catholic wedding? or do they have special catholic wedding rites intended for royals only?

 

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

The Hapsburgs of Austria are Catholic and were the primier Catholic Family of Europe for centuries.
Most of the Holy Roman Emperors were Hapsburgs and crowned by The Pope....

Larry

 

[An Ard Ri]

Hi,

The Hapsburgs of Austria are Catholic and were the primier Catholic Family of Europe for centuries.
Most of the Holy Roman Emperors were Hapsburgs and crowned by The Pope....

Larry

The Bavarian Royal Family are Roman Catholic as are the Portuguese & the various French Royal Houses.

 

[David V]

Reigning European Catholic royal families:
- Spain (House of Bourbon)
- Belgium (House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
- Luxembourg (male-line House of Bourbon-Parma since 1964)
- Monaco
- Liechtenstein

Non-reigning European Catholic royal families:
- France (House of Bourbon, House of Bonaparte)
- Portugal (House of Braganza)
- Italy (House of Savoy)
- Two Sicilies, Tuscany, Parma and Modena.
- Austria (House of Habsburg)
- Bavaria (House of Wittelsbach)
- Württemberg (House of Württemberg- the line that actually ruled were Protestants, but since the last king produced no heirs of his own, succession passed to the Catholic branch)
- Saxony (House of Wettin)
- a few other German houses. Note too that several royal houses have both Catholic and Protestant, some even Orthodox, branches.
- Irish royal families, who for most part are

Outside of Europe:
- Lesotho
- several African royal families, who are not rulers of independent countries, would also be Catholic
- numerous royal families of Flores, a few in West Timor and those of East Timor

 

[Moonmaiden23]

A Royal wedding Mass might be longer and more elaborate than that of a non-Royal, but no.

There is no "special" Mass just for Cathoic Royals..both the Requiem and Nuptial Masses are essentially the same for everyone.

 

[MAfan]

Also the Brazilian Imperial Family and the Princely House of Hohenzollern are Catholic.

 

[februarybreeze]

May I know the difference between reigning and non-reigning royals? i am sorry for asking this question but please understand, i am a new royal follower.

 

[Sternchen]

Reigning Royals are for exapmle Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, where the King or Queen is still head of state. Non-Reigning are for Example the Greece royal family, as they are no longer reigning, or the French or Italian Royal Family

 

[JulieS]

When their country is a monarchy, they are reigning royals. When their country is a republic, they are non-reigning royals.

 

[lucien]

If they are catholics, does their wedding a regular catholic wedding? or do they have special catholic wedding rites intended for royals only?

What do you think yourself breath...?The Pope takes a day off from the Vatican to wed a Royal?RC is RC for everyone,also for Royals.But thank goodness times have changed and one is no longer obliged to marry another Catholic if love chooses a protestant,or a Hindu or any other denomination for all I care.It is of no consequence in the western hemisphere any longer.It is not of this age any longer.Thank God for that.

 

[JulieS]

But if they want to marry in a Catholic Church with a non-Catholic, their kids must be christened Catholics.

 

[lucien]

But if they want to marry in a Catholic Church with a non-Catholic, their kids must be christened Catholics.

No,not necessarily so.They can opt for the children to choose themselves once they grow older.A wise thing.Or,they can have the baptisms performed by both a minister and a priest,as has happened here as we have several of our protestant House who married Catholics.But then we here are advanced in the way we experience Faith and put it into practice.It is increasingly of this day and age,instead of medieval times

 

[An Ard Ri]

No,not necessarily so.They can opt for the children to choose themselves once they grow older.A wise thing.Or,they can have the baptisms performed by both a minister and a priest,as has happened here as we have several of our protestant House who married Catholics.But then we here are advanced in the way we experience Faith and put it into practice.It is increasingly of this day and age,instead of medieval times

Agree,Princess Caroline who is RC married a Lutheran & their daughter,Princess Alexandra is being raised Lutheran.

The children of Prince & Princess Michael are Church of England.Princess Michael is Roman Catholic.

I'm not sure about the children of the Dutch Crown Princley Couple,The Crown Prince is Calvinist & The Crown Princess is Roman Catholic.

 

[Sternchen]

AFAIK the children of WA and Maxima are not RC

 

[An Ard Ri]

AFAIK the children of WA and Maxima are not RC

That's what I thought too.

 

[JulieS]

No,not necessarily so.They can opt for the children to choose themselves once they grow older.A wise thing.Or,they can have the baptisms performed by both a minister and a priest,as has happened here as we have several of our protestant House who married Catholics.But then we here are advanced in the way we experience Faith and put it into practice.It is increasingly of this day and age,instead of medieval times

Yes, they must. You can read it in the Catechism :

1635 According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.137 In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage.138 This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.139

Source : Catechism of the Catholic Church - The sacrament of Matrimony

But it only applies to Catholics who marry in the Catholic Church. Princess Maxima and Princess Caroline (with Prince Ernst-August) didn't marry in the Catholic Church.

 

[savonarola611]

Another Catholic monarch is Christ the King and The BVM as Queen.

 

[Meraude]

What about Queen Silvia? Is she Catholic?

Queen Silvia is not and have never been a Catholic, she's a Lutheran and one of the priests that officiated at her wedding was her paternal uncle Ernest Sommerlath, who was a well-known Lutheran theolog in Germany.

 

[Furienna]

Queen Silvia is not and have never been a Catholic, she's a Lutheran and one of the priests that officiated at her wedding was her paternal uncle Ernest Sommerlath, who was a well-known Lutheran theolog in Germany.

But since her mother was Brazilian, and she did live in Brazil as a child, it's not hard to imagine, that she's "half Catholic". But if you say that's not the case, I believe you.