Second Marriages
The decretals that dealt with second marriages offered slightly more novelty than the decretals dealing with sex offenses and clerical sexuality. Alexander III, for one thing, forbade clerics to give the nuptial blessing to couples if one spouse had been married previously.[1336] The decretal made no attempt to provide a rationale for the ruling, which was puzzling, in view of the church’s longÂstanding disapproval of those who condemned second and subsequent marÂriages.
In another decretal Alexander ruled that a man who contracted a bigaÂmous marriage during the lifetime of his first wife, should not be allowed to separate from his second wife after his first wife’s death.[1337] This case further ilÂlustrates Alexanders willingness to overrule earlier precedents in order to find equitable solutions to difficult problems.[1338]