A priest officiates a couple's wedding (stock image). Getty Later, when the guest and their wife were sitting at their table at the reception, they asked their table mates if they had "heard what ...

THE MARRIAGE OF PRIESTS VALID. Share full article. Feb. 19, 1886. Credit... The New York Times Archives. See the article in its original context from February 19, 1886, Page 6 Buy Reprints.

Marriage's primary purpose was to bind women to men, ... As the Christian church became a powerful institution in Europe, the blessings of a priest became increasingly common.