Tametsi

Tametsi (Latin, "although") is the legislation of the Catholic Church which was in force from 1563 until Easter 1908 concerning clandestine marriage. It was named, as is customary in Latin Rite ecclesiastical documents, for the first word of the document that contained it, Chapter 1, Session 24 of the Council of Trent. It added the impediment of clandestinity and established the canonical form of marriage for validity in the regions in which it was promulgated.

==Clandestinity== This was the document that added the impediment of clandestinity to the marriage law of the church. It was also the decree which ended a long debate about validity of marriage and produced sought after reform. Since the Sacrament of Marriage is administered by the parties to the marriage to each other, and not by clergy it is unique among the Sacraments. Fear of possible change in this doctrine prompted the debate, since prior to the Council of Trent (1545–1563), clandestine marriages had been considered valid. These marriages had resultant problems – questions over legitimacy of children; difficulties over inheritance, and the potential for conflict between those who considered they had a right to a voice in the matter.