Affinity (Catholic canon law)

Jus novum (c. 1140-1563) Jus novissimum (c. 1563-1918) Jus codicis (1918-present) Other Sacraments Sacramentals Sacred places Sacred times Supra-diocesan/eparchal structures Particular churches Juridic persons Philosophy, theology, and fundamental theory of Catholic canon law Clerics Office Juridic and physical persons Associations of the faithful Pars dynamica (trial procedure) Canonization Election of the Roman Pontiff Academic degrees Journals and Professional Societies Faculties of canon law Canonists Institute of consecrated life Society of apostolic life In Catholic canon law, affinity is an impediment to marriage of a couple due to the relationship which either party has as a result of a kinship relationship created by another marriage or as a result of extramarital intercourse.

Canon 109 of the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church provides that affinity is an impediment to the marriage of a couple, and is a relationship which "arises from a valid marriage, even if not consummated, and exists between a man and the blood relatives of the woman and between the woman and the blood relatives of the man.

Roman civil laws prohibited any marriage between parents and children, either in the ascending or descending line ad infinitum.

The method of calculating relationships was also changed to simply count the number of generations back to a common ancestor.

[8] It also limited both affinity and consanguinity prohibitions to the fourth degree, but retained the same method of calculating, counting back to a common ancestor.

[8] As the affinity rules have their origin in ecclesiastical and not divine law, impediments can be dispensed by the competent Church authority.

[11] The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches of the Eastern Catholic Church holds in Canon 809 that affinity invalidates marriage in the direct line in any degree, and also in the collateral line to the second degree, thus prohibiting someone from marrying their sibling-in-law without first receiving a dispensation.

However, the Greek patriarchs and bishops may grant dispensations with a certain degree of freedom or choose to adhere to the letter of the law.

The Armenian Apostolic Church restricts affinity to the fourth degree, while the policy of Oriental Orthodoxy in general is very close to that of the Roman Catholic canons.