I move amendment No. 20:
In page 11, subsection (1), line 26, after "divorce," to insert "subject to the provisions of the Act, the legal force and effect of".
Section 8 is very bald and unequivocal in its effect. It states:
(1) Where the court grants a decree of divorce, the marriage, the subject of the decree, is thereby dissolved and a party to that marriage may marry again.
With my amendment the section would state ". . . subject to the provisions of the Act, the legal force and effect of the marriage, the subject of the decree, is thereby dissolved and a party to that marriage may marry again." The intention in this section is to end the civil marriage. In Ireland, there are different procedures for Catholic and Protestant church marriages. A Catholic church marriage is registered under the Registration of Marriages Act, 1863. A Catholic or Protestant church marriage is recognised as a valid civil marriage. Section 8 states that it is this church marriage which is dissolved. In relation to a Catholic marriage — we discussed this at length on the Marriage Breakdown Committee some years ago — we need a format so people can see and understand what is happening.
