[Cronos]

hi, check my post above yours. I checked the CCC and saw that what you said is mostly correct except

1. For one -- with a non-Catholic Christian, just the permission is needed from a Bishop, not a dispensation. I don't know the difference but guess a dispensation is more difficult to get and more serious
   
2. For 2 - with a non-Christian, no, it's not needed from Rome, a dispensation is needed from the local bishop. I can verify that from experience (my sis-in-law and cousin got married to a Buddhists/athiest and a Hindu respectively and they just got the dispensation from the local Bishop where they got married)
   
3. For point 3 -- dunno
   
4. For point 4 -- I don't think so (don't know for sure), but I know of persons who have gotten married by a Justice of the Peace. The Church just ignores that -- it doesn't care about the civil unions. The two are then living in sin, but that's a different matter

[BDHKTM]

Cronos, you must refer to the Canon Law concerning proper dispensations. There are many rogue priest and bishops. Some bishops THINK they can grant a dispensation for marriage to a non-Christian, yet they are either ignorant of or in direct defiance of the Church’s laws. A written dispensation is needed from Rome. For a non-Catholic marriage, the WRITTEN dispensation comes from the Bishop only. It must be written and signed as to not cause future confusion as to whether or not a specific marriage is legitimate in the “eyes “ of the Church. The simple “permission” from the Bishop has caused the marriage of your sister? to the Budhist/atheist is illegitimate. Sorry