Can Second Cousins Marry?

Catholic Church law permits marriage between second cousins, according to Pat McCloskey, OFM, in a Franciscan Media report. This relationship involves a man and woman who share a common great-grandparent.

Under the current 1983 Code of Canon Law, second cousins are considered to be in the sixth degree of the collateral line. While the Church prohibits marriages within the direct line and those in the fourth degree of the collateral line, second cousins fall outside these restrictions. This differs from the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which did not permit such marriages.

A local bishop has the authority to grant a dispensation for first cousins to marry, but second cousins do not require this permission under current Church law. McCloskey notes that civil laws vary, though no U.S. state prohibits marriage between second cousins.