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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Marital Relations when a woman can no longer conceive	Patrick	Sunday, April 19, 2015
Question: Brother, I have read previous questions about what is considered acceptable for married couples who are older but I'm a little confused. What is Catholic Church teaching on sexual relations/acts for married couples and what is deemed offensive to God? By this I mean, once a wife no longer can bear children, are a husband and wife allowed to continue to have relations even though the wife will not become pregnant? And, is a husband allowed to touch or arouse his wife's genitals leading up to intercouse? I always thought these acts were acceptable by Church teaching as long as the couple finalizes the act with intercourse and male orgasm. Please help me understand what is right and wrong for married Catholic couples and sex according to Church teaching. Thank you.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Patrick: The purpose of the marital embrace is twofold: 1) procreation; 2) the bonding and unity of the husband and wife. When either the husband or the wife are no longer able to procreate the second purpose of the marital embrace, bonding and unity, still exists. Thus, once the wife is no longer able to bear children, it is still permissible to have sexual relations with her. Touching and fondling of each other's genitals is permissible as foreplay leading up to intercourse as long as the husband ejaculates in his wife's vagina. Not every sex act is permissible even within marriage. The virtue of chastity applies to married couples not only in the sense of avoiding adultery, but also in avoiding certain sex acts that fail to be a mutual self-giving, that degrades the human person. Such acts include sadomasochism, bondage, discipline, humiliation, and other acts too disgusting to mention. The marital embrace is to be loving and a mutual self-giving to each other. Any act that degrades human dignity violates chastity proper to marriage and also charity. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Marital Relations when a woman can no longer conceive

Patrick

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Question:

Brother,

I have read previous questions about what is considered acceptable for married couples who are older but I'm a little confused. What is Catholic Church teaching on sexual relations/acts for married couples and what is deemed offensive to God?

By this I mean, once a wife no longer can bear children, are a husband and wife allowed to continue to have relations even though the wife will not become pregnant? And, is a husband allowed to touch or arouse his wife's genitals leading up to intercouse? I always thought these acts were acceptable by Church teaching as long as the couple finalizes the act with intercourse and male orgasm. Please help me understand what is right and wrong for married Catholic couples and sex according to Church teaching.

Thank you.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Patrick:

The purpose of the marital embrace is twofold: 1) procreation; 2) the bonding and unity of the husband and wife.

When either the husband or the wife are no longer able to procreate the second purpose of the marital embrace, bonding and unity, still exists. Thus, once the wife is no longer able to bear children, it is still permissible to have sexual relations with her.

Touching and fondling of each other's genitals is permissible as foreplay leading up to intercourse as long as the husband ejaculates in his wife's vagina.

Not every sex act is permissible even within marriage. The virtue of chastity applies to married couples not only in the sense of avoiding adultery, but also in avoiding certain sex acts that fail to be a mutual self-giving, that degrades the human person. Such acts include sadomasochism, bondage, discipline, humiliation, and other acts too disgusting to mention.

The marital embrace is to be loving and a mutual self-giving to each other. Any act that degrades human dignity violates chastity proper to marriage and also charity.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum