The Church in Malta would not allow a French divorced couple to get married in any church or chapel because they did not satisfy the requirements, a Curia spokesman said.
Frenchman Alain Schmitt, the leader of a French sect, and his girlfriend Laurence Liegeois, are in custody pending extradition proceedings against them.
Malta is acting on a European arrest warrant; the couple, who are allegedly on the run, are wanted in France following their conviction for torture and kidnapping two years ago.
Last week, through their lawyer Emmy Bezzina, they asked a court for permission to get married in Malta. Both of them were married and obtained a divorce in 2005.
They have an eight-year-old child together.
Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna ruled on Thursday that, although there was no doubt the couple had a right to get married, he did not have the competence to decide upon the request.
Speaking outside the Marriage Registry office in Valletta yesterday, Dr Bezzina said the marriage would take place in two parts: first as a civil wedding and second as a religious ceremony in a chapel in Pietà. He said Fr Mark Montebello was prepared to officiate as long as the couple got the necessary clearance from the Curia.
But a Curia spokesman shot down this possibility, saying the religious ceremony would not be possible as it would be in breach of Canon Law.
"For a marriage to be celebrated in the Catholic Church, a couple have to prove their proper identity, their civil and canonical status and be adequately prepared to receive the sacrament. Procedures according to the teaching of the Church and according to Canon Law are followed in all cases, otherwise the marriage will be invalid," the spokesman said.
The spokesman stopped short of confirming whether the couple had requested permission to get married in the Pietà chapel on grounds of confidentiality.
Contacted for his reaction, Dr Bezzina said Church authorities "were laying a hurdle", adding it had to substantiate its refusal.
"The Church cannot apply two weights and two measures. Churches abroad allowed marriages between divorced people. The son of the King of Spain is one example. There is one Church with one set of rules, which must be applied equally everywhere. If this is not the case, then the Church in Malta is just a sect," he said.
Dr Bezzina said it was un-acceptable that his clients could not marry just because "there could be some monsignors who might have a hidden agenda".
He said there were local pro-minent people who obtained a divorce abroad and were then allowed to get married in Church just the same "because they had contacts and knew the right people".