In looking through early 20th century Colombian Catholic marriage records for my own story via the Church of Latter-Day Saints' familysearch.org (available to anyone), not only were plenty of dispensations given for first cousin marriages (about 5% of all marriages in some rural parishes), but even a fair number of uncle/niece (0.7% in Fresno, Tolima in the 1920s!) and a very few aunt/nephew marriages. In Latin America, the power to give matrimonial dispensations was delegated to the local bishops, likely because of the relatively poor infrastructure and slow communications compared to continental Europe.
Your half-uncle/half-niece couple would still have to get that "difficult" (evidently not so difficult in parts of early 20th century Colombia) dispensation for "first degree with second degree consanguinity" (before the 1983 Code of Canon Law redefined the terms) or "third degree consanguinity" (after 1983) that a full uncle/niece couple would, but it certainly wasn't impossible, especially if there was a "grave" reason (pregnancy and/or openly living together). A suitably generous donation to the local parish, cathedral, or other Church-related charity was often helpful.
Until the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the Church required third cousins and closer to get a dispensation (in reality, there were a lot more dispensations for first cousins and first cousins once removed, because tracing further out was tricky, especially if there was an illegitimate child in there - baptismal records before the 1960s or 70s only had the mother's names if the parents weren't married); that was actually later *softened* to first cousins and closer, making it harder to track second and third cousin marriages.
Now, half-siblings or full siblings - those are categorically not permitted by "natural law" (as opposed to uncle/niece or first cousins, who are barred by "ecclesiastic law," which can be dispensed).
Once in 33 years of priesthood have I been called to assist two first cousins who wished to marry each other. From the research I did at the time, I can tell you that first cousins can legally marry in all of Canada and in about half the states of the USA. Also, Charles Darwin married his first cousin (insert ironic comment here).
I have never come across it at all. BUT I did know a Maltese couple who were first cousins, and I do know of one person who, ahem, 'dated' her first cousin, whom she met as an adult.
People who Live in glass houses. . . Leave the poor Maltese alone. Trinidad is also notorious for close associations. On a recent trip to Barbados I met by chance some trinidadian relatives and was appalled at how many interconnections we had and we were relatively recent immigrants, only the last hundred years or so. The old time creole family trees must be bushes.
Dear Cousin, nice to hear from you. It was only the Protestants who said the Maltese were inbred... trying to suggest cousin marriage was condoned by the Catholic Church, which of course it is not. Incidentally, while you and I are related/connected to many West Indian families, none of our relatives have ever married their cousins, as far as I can tell. Indeed, my father and all my uncles with one exception, all married people not from Trinidad. Malta too is a small island but people there frequently marry 'offshore' as well, and if you did a DNA sample of an average Maltese, I am sure you would find all sorts of mixed ancestry.
I was today years old when I discovered that it is legal to marry a first cousin in the UK, which sent me straight to Google to find whether it is also legal here in Canada. It is!
In looking through early 20th century Colombian Catholic marriage records for my own story via the Church of Latter-Day Saints' familysearch.org (available to anyone), not only were plenty of dispensations given for first cousin marriages (about 5% of all marriages in some rural parishes), but even a fair number of uncle/niece (0.7% in Fresno, Tolima in the 1920s!) and a very few aunt/nephew marriages. In Latin America, the power to give matrimonial dispensations was delegated to the local bishops, likely because of the relatively poor infrastructure and slow communications compared to continental Europe.
Your half-uncle/half-niece couple would still have to get that "difficult" (evidently not so difficult in parts of early 20th century Colombia) dispensation for "first degree with second degree consanguinity" (before the 1983 Code of Canon Law redefined the terms) or "third degree consanguinity" (after 1983) that a full uncle/niece couple would, but it certainly wasn't impossible, especially if there was a "grave" reason (pregnancy and/or openly living together). A suitably generous donation to the local parish, cathedral, or other Church-related charity was often helpful.
Until the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the Church required third cousins and closer to get a dispensation (in reality, there were a lot more dispensations for first cousins and first cousins once removed, because tracing further out was tricky, especially if there was an illegitimate child in there - baptismal records before the 1960s or 70s only had the mother's names if the parents weren't married); that was actually later *softened* to first cousins and closer, making it harder to track second and third cousin marriages.
Now, half-siblings or full siblings - those are categorically not permitted by "natural law" (as opposed to uncle/niece or first cousins, who are barred by "ecclesiastic law," which can be dispensed).
Once in 33 years of priesthood have I been called to assist two first cousins who wished to marry each other. From the research I did at the time, I can tell you that first cousins can legally marry in all of Canada and in about half the states of the USA. Also, Charles Darwin married his first cousin (insert ironic comment here).
I have never come across it at all. BUT I did know a Maltese couple who were first cousins, and I do know of one person who, ahem, 'dated' her first cousin, whom she met as an adult.
Oh yes, Elizabeth II and her husband were second cousins, which is surprisingly common in certain aristocratic circles to this day.
Actually, third cousins, my mistake.
People who Live in glass houses. . . Leave the poor Maltese alone. Trinidad is also notorious for close associations. On a recent trip to Barbados I met by chance some trinidadian relatives and was appalled at how many interconnections we had and we were relatively recent immigrants, only the last hundred years or so. The old time creole family trees must be bushes.
Dear Cousin, nice to hear from you. It was only the Protestants who said the Maltese were inbred... trying to suggest cousin marriage was condoned by the Catholic Church, which of course it is not. Incidentally, while you and I are related/connected to many West Indian families, none of our relatives have ever married their cousins, as far as I can tell. Indeed, my father and all my uncles with one exception, all married people not from Trinidad. Malta too is a small island but people there frequently marry 'offshore' as well, and if you did a DNA sample of an average Maltese, I am sure you would find all sorts of mixed ancestry.
I was today years old when I discovered that it is legal to marry a first cousin in the UK, which sent me straight to Google to find whether it is also legal here in Canada. It is!
But is she blonde? Makes a difference you know. Just kidding. Not an iota in fact.