Q: Is the signing of documents, i.e. Marriage license and church marriage certificate, allowed on the altar? I understand that this practice is not allowed in Australia and Mexico.
A: The second edition of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony now states clearly – multiple times – that the marriage record is not to be signed on the altar. Both Australia and Mexico have had the second edition ahead of us in the US.
The rubric refers to the marriage record, which I believe means the parish marriage record, not the civil record. By extension, though, it would not be appropriate to sign the civil record on the altar either.