Riflessioni sull'ignorantia in re matrimoniali: un canone ancora attuale?

The paper examines the origin of the canon on ignorantia in re matrimoniali, introduced by the 1917 Code of Canon Law, comparing it with the psychological presuppositions of scholastic doctrine that inspire the canonical discipline on matrimonial consent and with the consolidated principles in the canonical tradition about the relevance of the lack of debita cognitio in the spouses. Given that the canon has been preserved in the current legislation, critical remarks are raised regarding the consistency with the conception of matrimonial consent as an act of the person, and it is proposed to change the approach of the case of invalidity, from defectus cognitionis to defectus discretionis iudicii.