ACT No. XXI of 2014 AN ACT to Amend the Marriage Act, Cap. 255.

I assent.

M ARIE L OUISE

(L.S.)

C OLEIRO P RECA

President

24th June, 2014

ACT No. XXI of 2014

AN ACT to Amend the Marriage Act, Cap. 255.

BE IT ENACTED by the President, by and with the advice and

consent of the House of Representatives, in this present Parliament

assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

The short title of this Act is the Marriage (Amendment) Short title.

Act, 2014, and this Act shall be read and construed as one with the

Marriage Act, hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act".

In article 2 of the principal Act, for the definition Amendment of

article 2 of the

"Agreement" there shall be substituted the following

principal Act.

"Agreement" means the Agreement between the Holy See

and Malta on the Recognition of Civil Effects to Canonical

Marriages and to the Decisions of the Ecclesiastical Authorities

and Tribunals about the Same Marriages, as well as the Protocol

of Application thereto, both signed in Malta on the 3rd February

1993, as well as the Third Additional Protocol thereto signed in

Malta on the 27th January 2014, which Agreement and

protocols are reproduced in the Schedule to this Act;".

Sub-article (2) of article 23 of the principal Act shall be Amendment of

deleted and sub-article (1) shall be re-numbered as whole article 23. article

principal Act.

Article 30 of the principal Act shall be substituted by the Substitution of

article 30 of the

following

principal Act.

" Independence

The fact that a case for the

of actions.

declaration of nullity of a catholic marriage is

pending before a court or before the Tribunal

at the time when another case is filed or is

pending before a court or before the Tribunal

for the declaration of nullity of the same

marriage shall not hinder the court or the

Tribunal from continuing to hear or from

determining the case filed or pending before

it.".

5. The Schedule to the principal Act shall be amended as

follows

(1) In the Italian language version of the Schedule

immediately after the part reproducing the "Secondo Protocollo

Addizionale" there shall be added the following

"TERZO PROTOCOLLO ADDIZIONALE

La Repubblica di Malta e la Santa Sede considerano

conveniente modificare le disposizioni dell’Accordo tra la Santa

Sede e la Repubblica di Malta sul riconoscimento degli effetti

civili ai matrimoni canonici e alle decisioni delle Autorità e dei

tribunali ecclesiastici circa gli stessi matrimoni, e modificare il

relativo Protocollo Addizionale, entrambi firmati a Malta il 3

febbraio 1993, come pure abrogare il relativo Secondo

Protocollo Addizionale, firmato a Malta il 6 gennaio 1995.

La Repubblica di Malta e la Santa Sede hanno stabilito, di

commune intesa, quanto segue

Articolo 1

Definizioni

Nel presente Protocollo

"Accordo” significa l’Accordo tra la Repubblica di Malta e

la Santa Sede sul riconoscimento degli effetti civili ai matrimoni

canonici e alle decisioni delle Autorità e dei tribunali

ecclesiastici circa gli stessi matrimoni, firmato a Malta il 3

febbraio 1993;

"Protocollo Addizionale" significa il Protocollo

Addizionale dell’Accordo, anch’esso firmato a Malta il 3

febbraio 1993;

"Secondo Protocollo Addizionale" significa il Secondo

Protocollo Addizionale dell’Accordo, firmato a Malta il 6

gennaio 1995.

Articolo 2

Modificazione dell’Accordo

1. L’Articolo 4 paragrafo 1 dell’Accordo e` cancellato.

2. L’Articolo 4 paragrafo 2 e` rinumerato come

Articolo 4.

Articolo 3

Modificazione del Protocollo Addizionale

1. Il paragrafo III del Protocollo Addizionale e`

cancellato.

2. I paragrafi

successivi

sono

rinumerati

di

conseguenza.

Articolo 4

Cancellazione del Secondo Protocollo Addizionale

Il Secondo Protocollo Addizionale e’ cancellato.

Il presente Terzo Protocollo Addizionale fa parte

integrante dell’Accordo sul riconoscimento degli effetti civili ai

matrimoni canonici e alle decisioni delle Autorità e dei tribunali

ecclesiastici circa gli stessi matrimoni, firmato a Malta tra la

Santa Sede e la Repubblica di Malta il 3 febbraio 1993.

Fatto alla Valletta, Malta, il ventisette di gennaio 2014, in

doppio originale in lingua italiana ed inglese, ambedue i testi

facendo ugualmente fede.

Per la Repubblica di Malta

Per la Santa Sede

Il Ministro per gli Affari Esterni

In Nunzio Apostolico ".

(2) In the English language version of the Schedule

immediately after the part reproducing the "Second Additional

Protocol" there shall be added the following

"THIRD ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL

The Republic of Malta and the Holy See consider it

advisable to amend the provisions of the Agreement between

the Holy See and Malta on the recognition of civil effects to

canonical marriages and to the decisions of the ecclesiastical

Authorities and tribunals about the same marriages, and to

amend the Protocol of Application thereto, both signed in Malta

on the 3rd February 1993, as well as to rescind the Second

Additional Protocol thereto, signed in Malta on the 6th January

1995. Wherefore, the Republic of Malta and the Holy See have,

by common accord, established as follows

Article 1

Definitions

In the present Protocol

"Agreement" means the Agreement between the Holy See

and the Republic of Malta on the recognition of civil effects to

canonical marriages and to the decisions of the ecclesiastical

authorities and tribunals about the same marriages, signed in

Malta on the 3rd February 1993;

"Protocol of Application" means the Protocol of

Application to the Agreement, also signed in Malta on the 3rd

February 1993;

"Second Additional Protocol" means the Second

Additional Protocol to the Agreement, signed in Malta on the

6th January 1995.

Article 2

Amendment of the Agreement

1. Article 4 paragraph 1 of the Agreement is deleted.

2. Article 4 paragraph 2 shall be re-numbered as

Article 4.

Article 3

Amendment of the Protocol of Application

1. Paragraph III of the Protocol of Application is

deleted.

2. The following paragraphs shall be re-numbered

accordingly.

Article 4

Deletion of Second Additional Protocol

The Second Additional Protocol is deleted.

The present Third Additional Protocol forms an integral

part of the Agreement on the recognition of civil effects to

canonical marriages and to the decisions of the ecclesiastical

Authorities and tribunals about the same marriages, signed in

Malta between the Holy See and the Republic of Malta on the

3rd February 1993.

Done at Valletta, Malta, on the twenty seventh of January

2014, in two originals, each in the Italian and English

languages, both texts being equally authentic.

For the Republic of Malta

For the Holy See

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Apostolic Nuncio".

6. For the purposes of the Ratification of Treaties Act, it is Ratification of

hereby declared that the House of Representatives has approved the Protocol.

Cap. 304,

ratification by the Government of the Third Additional Protocol to the

Agreement between the Holy See and Malta on the recognition of

civil effects to canonical marriages and to the decisions of the

ecclesiastical authorities and Tribunals about the same marriages.

Passed by the House of Representatives at Sitting No. 163 of the

16th June, 2014.

A NĠLU F ARRUGIA

Speaker

R AYMOND S CICLUNA

Clerk to the House of Representatives