I sent this to the CDF in February of 2020, just before the height of the pandemic, and as of this writing (June 2021) have never received a reply --- HSD
27 February 2020
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio
00120 Città del Vaticano
VATICAN CITY STATE (ITALY)
My dear Reverend Sir:
I am a simple Catholic layman residing in the Latin Rite diocese of [REDACTED]. Very often in recent months, I have participated in the well-known apologetics website Catholic Answers Forum, in which informed and faithful apostolic Catholics, usually laypersons, engage in debate and discussion of many issues pertinent to the Catholic Faith and Catholic living in today’s world.
Recently there has been a lively, and sometimes
impassioned debate on Catholic Answers Forum concerning the extent to
which natural family planning (NFP) is a licit option for married
couples seeking to exercise responsible parenthood and fecundity in
accord with the mind of Almighty God and His Catholic Church. Some
take the position that there must be a grave, serious, or just reason
for the use of NFP, in keeping with the teaching of Pius XI (Casti
connubii), Pius XII (Allocution to Italian Midwives), and Paul VI
(Humanae vitae). Others maintain that the mere fact of using
NFP, in that it is a morally acceptable means of family planning, and
that it normally requires some degree of self-sacrifice, makes NFP
licit under any and all circumstances, regardless of the couple’s
reason for using it. The argument has also been made that a couple
may licitly seek to avoid pregnancy for the entire duration of their
marriage, even if the only reason for so doing, is that they simply
want not to have children.
Therefore, I respectfully pose the following
questions to the sacred Congregation:
Is it possible to
contract a valid sacramental marriage if either or both spouses have
a positive and permanent intention to avoid bearing children for the
entire duration of the marriage, do not know themselves to be
permanently infertile, and have agreed upon this intention, without
any grave, serious, or just reason, or without any excusing cause
aside from just not wanting to have children?
It is morally licit for a couple to agree, by mutual consent, to practice natural, non-contraceptive methods of family planning, avoiding marital relations during what is foreseen as the fertile period, at various times during the marriage, or for the entire duration of the marriage, when they have no grave, serious, or just reason to seek to avoid pregnancy, or without any excusing cause aside from just not wanting to have children, for a certain period of time, or for the entire duration of the marriage?
I am a loyal son of the Church and I will accept
whatever answer the Congregation gives to these questions. Anything
less is an attitude not worthy of a faithful, apostolic Catholic.
Beseeching your Apostolic Blessing, I remain,
His humble servant, and yours,
[REDACTED]
United States of America (Stati Uniti d’America)
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Nitpick time here:
Yes, I know, I should have said “is it”, not “it is”, in the second question. I did not catch this until about 90 seconds ago. Like you’ve never made a mistake?
And “Apostolic Blessings” are typically given by the Pope or his lieutenant. I think the Vatican has been doing this sort of thing long enough, that they can figure that part out.