In the

canon law of the Catholic Church The canon law of the Catholic Church ("canon law" comes from Latin ') is "how the Church organizes and governs herself". It is the system of laws and ecclesiastical legal principles made and enforced by the hierarchical authorities of the Cathol ...

, a ''vetitum'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "a prohibited thing") is a prohibition, in the form of a

precept A precept (from the la, præcipere, to teach) is a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action. Religious law In religion, precepts are usually commands respecting moral conduct. Christianity The term is en ...

, imposed by an ecclesiastical judge on a particular individual, in connection with declaring the nullity of marriage, that prevents them from contracting another marriage, at least until the cause of the nullity of the first marriage has ceased.Dr.

Edward N. Peters Edward Neal Peters (born 1957) is an American Roman Catholic canonist and serves as a referendary#canon law, referendary of the Apostolic Signatura (an advisor/consultant to the Holy See's top tribunal). He is professor of canon law (Catholic Ch ...

, J.C.D.
Annulment Granted? Expect More than a Simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’
accessed 9 May 2019. A ''vetitum'' prohibits marriage in the Catholic Church until the prohibition is removed. The term describes a prohibition against a particular behavior or action that is affixed to a party whose marriage was declared found to have been null in a declaration of nullity from a matrimonial tribunal of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. This prohibition or directive may involve one or both of the parties. A ''vetitum'' is imposed to delay the celebration of a future

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

until a given condition has been fulfilled or addressed. Thus, the pastoral purpose of a ''vetitum'' is to help an individual and/or a couple address the underlying problems that led to the breakdown of a former marriage union. At times a recommendation or a warning (a ''

monitum A ''monitum'' is a warning issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to an errant cleric, who is in danger of receiving an additional penalty. Notable cases Teilhard de Chardin The writings, not named but described as "gaining a goo ...

'') may also be made by the tribunal which processes a formal petition for nullity.

References

Catholic matrimonial canon law Catholic procedural canon law Catholic Church legal terminology Tribunals of the Catholic Church {{Latin-vocab-stub