Pennsylvania Court Says Marriages Can Be Performed By Clergy Without Churches

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a Bucks County, Pennsylvania judge ruled on Wednesday that a marriage performed by a minister of the Universal Life Church is valid even though the minister was ordained online and has no permanent congregation. In 2007, a judge in York county ruled that such marriages were invalid because Pennsylvania law limits clergy who can perform weddings to those who have a "regularly established church or congregation." (23 Pa. Consol. Stats. 1503 [LEXIS link]). (See prior posting.) Bucks County Court Judge C. Theodore Fritsch Jr. held, however, that it is enough that the minister is ordained by a group that operates under a widely-recognizes system of beliefs. The successful lawsuit was filed by the ACLU which has won similar rulings in two other Pennsylvania counties. (See prior related posting.)