Many persons who are accustomed to praise former times desire to give them the credit of having enacted and established better laws; and I am well aware that in many respects their laws are superior to those which have subsequently been adopted; but I also know that in some instances they are inferior. There are, indeed, not a few of them that are more beneficial, among which those concerning adoption should be included. Adoptions formerly were devoid of pomp or ceremony, and took place without sacrifices or any sacred melodies, and the law permitted those who desired to be adopted to do so in an extremely informal manner. The result of this was that the name of sister was frequently changed into that of wife; that of daughter into that of daughter-in-law; that of son into that of son-in-law; and then adoptive sons or daughters contracted matrimonial alliances with their natural brothers or sisters, which could take place because the service of the Church not being employed in adoption, no hindrance was offered to them. But although marriage was, under such circumstances, considered to some extent disgraceful, *there was nothing criminal about it, since adoption was accomplished without any religious rites. But at present, as it is accompanied with all due solemnity, as as the names of adoptive father and son are bestowed during the holy sacrifice, there is no longer any reason why marriage between natural and adoptive children of the same father should be permitted. Hence, We decree that those who become brother and sister by adoption can not change this relationship through matrimonial union.