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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Petrine privilege
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A quick definition of Petrine privilege:
Petrine privilege is a rule in the Catholic Church that allows the Pope to dissolve a marriage between a baptized person and an unbaptized person if the Pauline privilege is not available and it would benefit the church. This is usually done to dissolve a previous marriage of a Catholic, but sometimes it is used when a baptized non-Catholic wants to marry a Catholic. In rare cases, it can also be used to dissolve the marriage of two unbaptized non-Catholics if one of them wants to marry a Catholic.
A more thorough explanation:
Petrine privilege is a term used in Ecclesiastical law that refers to the power of the Pope to dissolve a marriage between a baptized spouse and an unbaptized spouse. This power is exercised when the Pauline privilege is not available and the dissolution of the marriage would be beneficial to the interests of the church.
For example, if a Roman Catholic wishes to marry a baptized non-Catholic, the Petrine privilege may be applied to dissolve the previous marriage of the Catholic. In rare cases, the privilege may also be extended to dissolve the marriage of two unbaptized non-Catholics if one of them wishes to marry a Catholic.
The Petrine privilege is exercised to ensure that the interests of the church are protected and that the marriage is in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.