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Darian
Guest
An answer in the Ask an Apologist forum indicated that the answer is no. What does impotence have to do with who or who can’t be married?
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1ke
Guest
That is correct.
Can.* 1084 §1. Antecedent and perpetual impotence to have intercourse, whether on the part of the man or the woman, whether absolute or relative, nullifies marriage by its very nature.
§2. If the impediment of impotence is doubtful, whether by a doubt about the law or a doubt about a fact, a marriage must not be impeded nor, while the doubt remains, declared null.
§3. Sterility neither prohibits nor nullifies marriage, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 1098.
It has everything to do with it.
The ability to exchange the right to the marital act is an essential property of marriage. It is an absolute property of marriage. Those who cannot exchange this right cannot marry.
Please do a forum search for the numerous threads on this topic.
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PerfectTiming
Guest
The AAA forum is right, the answer is no.
People have this attitude nowadays that marriage is nothing more than an extended boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. With pre-marital sex and people having children out of wedlock they are loosing touch with what marriage really is.
An impotent person cannot fulfil a key marital duty. Part of the marriage bond is the consummation of it. They cannot complete their union nor can they have children. Impotence is a barrier to marriage because an impotent person simply cannot fulfil the requirements of marriage.
People have this attitude nowadays that marriage is nothing more than an extended boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. With pre-marital sex and people having children out of wedlock they are loosing touch with what marriage really is.
An impotent person cannot fulfil a key marital duty. Part of the marriage bond is the consummation of it. They cannot complete their union nor can they have children. Impotence is a barrier to marriage because an impotent person simply cannot fulfil the requirements of marriage.
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Warrior1979
Guest
Impotent people can have children, via adoption.
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Tyuiop411
Guest
I find it weird that impotence wouldn’t allow you to marry but being sterile would. Sterile men could consummate the marriage but never have children. So I’m guessing the key here is the actual consummation of the marriage?
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Matthew_Holford
Guest
It is more about the husband and wife being able to have intravaginal sexual intercourse than actually conceiving children.
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Rascalking
Guest
Awesome! Even though the poor impotent person has no control over their situation, they get punished? So amazing.
Go ahead. Get married. Adopt. It’s a beautiful thing.
Go ahead. Get married. Adopt. It’s a beautiful thing.
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PerfectTiming
Guest
But they cannot consummate their marriage. And that is key.
Marriage is not the only option in life. They are not getting “punished” for anything, they are by nature ineligible for marriage. For a true marriage to take place, there needs to be consummation. Just because they cannot be married does not mean they lead lesser lives than married people. They are simply called to live a different life.
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Matthew_Holford
Guest
Yes it is concerned with the male being able to have a penile erection and to be able to penetrate the female’s vagina. The female must be able to receive an erect penis into her vagina. The spouses must be able to have intravaginal intercourse.
Ejaculation and the conception of a child are not required.
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Rascalking
Guest
They’re getting a choice taken away from them because of nothing they did. It’s a punishment for something they have no control over. It’s grossly unfair.
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joanofarc2008
Guest
Actually it’s really not that completely unfair. How would someone know for sure that they were impotent unless they had tried prior to marriage? So therefore sin is the only thing that can lead to this knowledge beforehand. Yes, we can be forgiven in confession but sometimes we live with the temporal affects.
Otherwise the ability to consummate is assumed unless otherwise proven and validity is challenged.
Also you need to remember that sex is more than a physical act - it is the renewing of the marriage covenant between a couple with the Holy Spirit. In a way it is sacramental. It is a major part of the marriage - it is not just about having children.
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PerfectTiming
Guest
I once read a story about a woman who tried desperately to conceive children naturally. She tried everything but nothing worked, she suffered miscarriages. Through no fault of her own, she could not have natural children and was devastated because she wanted that so much. Eventually she did adopt children and she said that she realised that those were the children she was meant to have - her sufferings had not been a punishment, but a blessing because they had lead her to her true path.
We can’t have everything in life. Sometimes doors have to be closed so that we can find the right one. Not everyone is destined for marriage.
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Cavaradossi
Guest
It’s not too hard for a man to know if he has some problems which would prevent him from successfully having sexual intercourse. One doesn’t need to sin to find that out either, unless you count involuntary erections as a sin (this is of course when the cause of impotence is physiological).
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asd72
Guest
What about medical intervention? There are medicines these days to remedy this. Does this Church have objections to their use?
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Rascalking
Guest
Clearly I disagree with some posters, and they with me. That’s fine, I still think it’s amazingly unfair and downright cruel to the importent person. Just my opinion.
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joanofarc2008
Guest
There is a big difference between saying I have no involuntary erections therefore I am impotent - and I am sexually active and have been to urologists and know myself to be impotent beyond medical treatment. So yes your argument is from absurdity unless you insert sexuality before marriage (unless the person has been married before.)
Also marriage is a vocation. Just like any other vocation such as Holy Orders if one does not meet the minimum requirements for the vocation one cannot fulfill the requirements of the vocation meaning that one is not called. For instance if one has a psychological defect causing them not to be able to consent then they will never validly marry. It is what it is. They are not called by God. It is His Bride, the Church that helps us to figure this out.
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adrift
Guest
Life is unfair. There are those who can not see or walk. Humans are snuffed out each day so that their mother doesn’t have to take the responsibility of raising them. If you want to complain about unfariness, that should top your list not being able to marry doesn’t even make the list.
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Marie5890
Guest
The word that comes to my mind is discrimination.
And I look to the Lord and go “So, it’s Your Church. How do You feel about this? What do You think?”
I’m reminded of Our Lord’s words of “The Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath” comment.
Let’s face it, it’s not like there is some sort of check list or physical test to make sure these canon laws are applied. Ya know?
Where I do see it coming into play is if someone is seeking an annulment.
Other than that, it’s not like there is some “impotence-checking-police” force going around and asking men to physically prove that they dont suffer from ED or something.
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BVM_1221
Guest
We could. (I happen to be a Eunuch)
But we would STILL have to be married in a Non-Catholic seting.:sad_yes:
The marriage would not be lawful in the eyes of the Catholic Church.:nope:
But a civil marriage, or a religious marriage at some non-Catholic denomination, would be valid enough to allow adoption.:yup:
But I am not sure if the Catholic Church would regard such adopted children as legitimate.
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1ke
Guest
This stem, IMHO, from a gross misunderstanding of what marriage is.
Marriage has been so distorted by the various heretical ideas of different ecclesial communities and other religions. It is indeed easy to absorb these misguided ideas.
Marriage is something specific. That an impotent person cannot marry is no more “unfair” than the fact that a man cannot give birth. It is a fact, it is not a judgment or something imposed upon the person.
A right understanding of marriage is necessary. Marriage is not a right. The purpose of marriage is very specific as are the requirements of it.
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