Was the idea of NFP a Vatican II invention? The late Fr. Malachi Martin who I respect tremendously said Vatican II changed the idea of sex from being primarily for procreation and secondarily for intimacy to procreation and intimacy being of equal value.
Isn’t NFP promotion kind of a contradiction, because on one hand you are saying all sexual acts in marriage must be open to procreation, but then NFP promoters boast about how NFP when used correctly is 98% effective? Hypothetically, if one uses a contraceptive that is 97% effective and they are using NFP that is 98% effective, isnt the first group being more open to procreation than the second?
Im having a problem with how a “grave” matter is decided on. Is there some matrix chart that a priest uses that he can decide based on income, existing family size, health issues? It just seems pretty subjective to me.
No, it predates V2. There are Church documents as old as 1854 I think dealing with it, and the Calendar method was widely used before V2.
NFP is not a contradiction. Your percentages have nothing to do with anything. There is nothing in the use of NFP to try to avoid pregnancy which directly hinders conception. Hence the word “contraception”.
By grave matter I assume you mean when matters are grave enough to permit the use of NFP to try to avoid pregnancy. The easiest way to put it is that such matters are too complex to be put on a flowchart or spreadsheet, one must use their prudential judgement and it would be best to talk with your priest about it as well.
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