Q: In the last 10 years I have attended a number of Catholic marriages and in none of them does the priest ever say, "I now declare you man and wife." What happened to that simple declarative statement and why has it been excised from the marriage vows? -- G.B., Richmond, Virginia
A: As far as I have been able to ascertain, this particular formula never formed part of the Roman Catholic rite of matrimony. These words, or variations of the same, do form part of the Anglican and some other Protestant rites.
Read the whole answer here: http://www.zenit.org/article-31498?l=english
