Can a bishop give a nun authority to preside at a wedding?
The short answer
Yes, under certain conditions. Where priests and deacons are lacking, the diocesan bishop can delegate lay persons — including nuns — to assist at marriages, after a favorable vote of the bishops' conference and with permission from the Holy See.
What canon law provides
Where priests and deacons are lacking, the diocesan bishop can delegate lay persons to assist at marriages, with the prior favorable vote of the conference of bishops and the permission of the Holy See (CIC 1112).
Nuns included
This provision covers lay persons, including nuns.
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