Catholic Marriage and Contraception in Canon Law: A Call for Alternative Pastoral Approches

Abstract

In this reflection the author focuses on the issue of contraception in Catholic marriages. He shows that the use of contraception in a Catholic marriage is hard to reconcile with the Catholic Church’s teaching. Moreover, he shows that the 1983 Code of Canon Law is not explicit on the issue of contraception. With this background, the author is of the view that since the practice of contraception is a reality at least in some Catholic marriages, the best way to respond is to find some alternative pastoral approaches, rather than resorting to customary condemnation. For him, since there are multidimensional factors involved when it comes to the issue of contraception, then each case deserves locally tailored pastoral attention. With this view, he revises the debate on contraception and Catholic marriage, the Catholic Church’s position on contraception and then endeavor to suggest an alternative pastoral framework for responding to challenges and dilemmas brought about by the practice of contraception in Catholic marriages.