Marriage

Question

From reading your articles, I infer that marriage is only permissible if the female is capable of bearing children at the inception of the marriage. I note an implied need for the husband to be able to intromit.
What about virginal marriage?

What about marriage past menopause or post-hysterectomy or post-vasectomy or after acquiring impotence due to prostate cancer treatment?

What about the companionate aspects of marriage?

There is more to sex than intromission and ejaculation, and orgasm is possible with NO physical contact. It is a spiritual experience, and I imagine it is similar to the ecstatic experiences of the saints.

I would certainly like to hear responses to these questions.

Roberta

Answer

Last Updated: February 21, 2015
Dear Roberta,

Thank you for your questions. While I must confess that I need to spend some more time reviewing the questions and answers on this site, I would be surprised to find an answer suggesting that if one or both spouses-to-be were infertile, they would not be able to marry. This is certainly not the case in the Catholic Church, and I am pretty sure it also is not the case with civil marriage. In any case, one does not necessarily need to be fertile to marry validly. As you so correctly pointed out, if fertility were a requirement for valid marriage, an elderly man and woman would not be able to marry.

However, it is true that the Catholic Church, in her treatment of the Sacrament of Marriage in the Code of Canon Law (church law), does consider “antecedent and perpetual impotence, whether on the part of the man or of the woman” to be an impediment to valid marriage(see Canon 1084). If the man and woman are not able to consummate the marriage, the marriage should not take place. This is based on the teaching of Jesus in the bible, when he refers to Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 in Matthew 19:5-6a: “Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: this is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body.”

Regarding virginal marriage, there have been cases in the history of the saints, where spouses, after having consummated the marriage, and indeed, had children and raised a family, have entered into a mutual agreement to live celibately. However, this agreement to live as brother and sister was only carried out after having lived a valid sacramental marriage for some time. This arrangement, when prompted and affirmed by the Holy Spirit, is completely legitimate.

May God bless you.

Fr. Blaise Berg

Answered By:

Fr. Blaise Berg, STD
Rev. Blaise Berg, STD, President and Treasurer of the CANFP Executive Board, is Assistant Professor of Dogmatics at St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, CA. Fr. Berg earned a BA from the University of San Francisco, an MBA from California Polytechnic University, a Baccalaureate degree in Sacred Theology, S.T.B at the Pontifical Gregorian University Rome, a Licentiate Degree in Sacred Theology, S.T.L. from the JPII Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, Pontifical Lateran University, Rome. and a Doctoral Degree in Sacred Theology, S.T.D. from Pontifical Lateran University, Rome. He has served on the CANFP Board since 2003.

Read more related questions

Morally Acceptable to Assist Wife in Achieving Orgasm?

I really need your help, I keep finding contradicting information on the matter everywhere I look. If my wife and I plan on having normal…

Intimacy When Intercourse Not Possible For Health Reasons

I was happy to see the quality of the responses from the experts on your site, but I did not see any that dealt with…

Troubled by Past Vasectomy

My husband and I were married in the Church 26 years ago. I had converted beforehand, more so for him than for myself. We were…

Unmet Expectations and Sad….

I read the other marital sexuality Q&A and could not find the answer to this. My husband and I have been married less than a…

Marriage

From reading your articles, I infer that marriage is only permissible if the female is capable of bearing children at the inception of the marriage.…

Appropriate Expressions of Intimacy

During times when we are postponing pregnancy, is sexual foreplay okay if neither of us has an orgasm? Our situation is that when I have…

Paraplegics and Marital Relations

In your section on marital sexuality, I read the information you posted in response to a question about the nature of the sexual relationship for…

Should I Feel Guilty?

My husband and I are no longer capable of having children because of medical reasons but we still enjoy sex a great deal. Are we…

Medical Options for Impotence

I have read the response on your website to questions about the morality of various acts in a marriage in which the husband is impotent.…

Impotence and Sexuality

This very important question concerns millions of Catholic couples. It concerns the subject of impotence. I understand that Catholic teaching requires that all acts of…

A Second Opinion

I am getting married in two weeks, and have been learning NFP over the last few months. My fiance and I have lived apart for…

Thorn in Our Side

My wife and I practice NFP to the best of our knowledge. We try and follow the format even though we have never had any…

Create An Account

This is not a membership, this is an account for our CANFP website. If you decide you would like to sign up for one of our memberships later, you can do so with or without this account.

First Name *
Last Name *
E-mail *
Username *
Password *
Confirm Password *
Edit Profile
Information
Subscriptions
Payments
Order History
Downloads
Shipping and Billing
Donations
Settings
Login Information
Notification Settings
Notification Subscriptions
Profile

CANFP conducts varied outreach programs to the community at large, in addition to serving our members (NFP users, teachers, and advocates).

CANFP provides education programs tailored to the audience, not only on Natural Family Planning, but on the wide variety of topics related to it.

Programs can be continuing education for NFP Professionals, introductory information for a lay audience of youth or adults new to the topic, or specifically tailored to the interests of a professional audience, such as educators, physicians, or clergy. Content is faith based or secular, whichever is suitable for situation.

CANFP offers a variety of resources for those just discovering Natural Family Planning, as well as to meet the varied needs of our CANFP Members. Most resources are available to any visitors to our site. Some resources do ask you to register as a site user in order to access them, others are available only to CANFP Members.

CANFP statewide conferences, regional events offered in collaboration with local partners, events featuring CANFP speakers, or exhbit, as well as other events throughout the state of interest to our NFP community.  Come meet one of our experts at one of these events or book a speaker for your own upcoming event.

CANFP depends on the gifts, talents, and generosity of our members and supporters. The success of our mission depends on the collaboration of our members. Please consider contributing your time treasure and talent through CANFP to share the good news of NFP with the world! Both volunteer and contracted positions available.

Stay informed by joining our email list

* indicates required
Which role(s) best describes you?