Marriage & Sterility

[femme_du_noel]

I believe that the answer to the "Can a sterile person marry" is incorrect. People who know they are infertile (sterile) can marry. People who know they are impotent and unable to consummate the marriage cannot marry.

Edited May 27, 2005 by femme_du_noel

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='femme_du_noel' date='May 27 2005, 10:30 AM']I believe that the answer to the "Can a sterile person marry" is incorrect. People who know they are infertile (sterile) can marry. People who know they are impotent and unable to consummate the marriage cannot marry.[/quote]
You are correct. Impotence that is "antecedent and perpetual . . . by its very nature invalidates marriage"; while sterility "neither prohibits nor nullifies marriage." [CIC, canon 1084 §3; CCEO, canon 801 §3]

Here is the pertinent canon from the Latin Rite [u]Code of Canon Law[/u] in full:

[quote]Canon 1084 §1: Antecedent and perpetual impotence to have sexual intercourse, whether on the part of the man or on that of the woman, whether absolute or relative, by its very nature invalidates marriage.

§2: If the impediment of impotence is doubtful, whether the doubt be one of law or one of fact, the marriage is not to be prevented nor, while the doubt persists, is it to be declared null.

§3: Without prejudice to the provisions of can. 1098 [b]*[/b], sterility neither forbids nor invalidates a marriage.

[quote][b]*[/b] Canon 1098: A person contracts invalidly who enters marriage inveigled by deceit, perpetrated in order to secure consent, concerning some quality of the other party, which of its very nature can seriously disrupt the partnership of conjugal life.[/quote][/quote]

I would note that based upon the texts that I have available, the definition of impotency is somewhat broader in the canonical tradition of the Church than it is in the medical profession. For more information about this issue I recommend reading Fr. Nicholas Halligan's [u]The Administration of the Sacraments[/u] (1962), pages 471-473; and his revised edition of the book, entitled [u]The Sacraments and their Celebration[/u] (1986), pages 177-178.

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
5/29 - Corpus Christi

Thanks for pointing this out; this is a terminological mistake on my end. I falsely equated "impotence" and "infertility". Infertile couples can wed because they are able to consummate the marriage, while impotent couples cannot. For further info, check Christopher West's book [i]The Good News About Sex and Marriage[/i].

This is why I love the Phatmass community - they keep me on my toes! Sorry about the mix-up on my end. Peace.

Yours,
Pio Nono