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The SacramentsIntermediate

Is marrying a relative allowed by the Church?

The Sacraments

The short answer

Never in the direct line, such as father and daughter or grandmother and grandson. In the collateral line, relatives as close as first cousins are impeded from marrying, but the bishop may dispense the impediment for first cousins.

The direct line

Consanguinity in the direct line — father and daughter, grandmother and grandson — always prohibits marriage.

The collateral line

In the indirect line, those as closely related as first cousins are impeded from marrying (CIC 1091). The bishop may dispense this impediment for first cousins.