What is the Roman Catholic Church's view on honeymoons?

Question

From what I understand, the RCC disapproves of having "relations" without the intent of having a baby. Does this mean they frown upon newly weds having a honeymoon?

Answer 1

You understand wrong.

The RCC teaching is that the act of sex must be "open to life". This does NOT mean that each act of sex is required to be performed with the sole intent of creating a new life.

Being open to life simply means letting God decide if and when you will conceive, instead of trusting to artificial birth control methods.

This is why the only form of birth control the Church allows is natural family planning, which is based on knowing when we ovulate, as well as several other factors, but does not involve putting medications or devices into or on our bodies. With natural family planning, our bodies are open to conception at all times, even if we are only engaging in sexual relations during the times that we are least likely to conceive.

Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Humanae Vitae made it very clear that sex is not just for procreation. God made it pleasurable so that a husband and a wife could give each other joy in the bedroom and express their love in a deep and physical way. God is truly great!

For the record, natural family planning works when done properly. I have had two children in my 42 years of life. Ten years apart with no accidental or unwanted pregnancies in between. I have four more kids who I gained through a second marriage. They were all diaphragm babies.

Answer 2

Actually that is not the correct teaching of the catholic church. They teach that every act of intercourse must be open to the possibility of pregnancy, BUT, it is ok to use natural methods to plan your family. Natural methods would be using the ovulation method, where you figure out when the woman is ovulating and avoid intercourse during that time. According to the church intercourse is not just for procreation, but also for unification of the married couple.

This is a very simplified version of the teaching. I used to be catholic and did a lot of research into this. Now, that being said, the church also teaches that your conscience is the final authority. You need to decide on the right course here. If you are a devout catholic and feel uncomfortable talk to your priest. There are classes you and your future spouse can take to teach you how to be aware of your fertility.

I am not saying the teachings of the church are right, but just stating them.

Answer 3

Since it’s a pagan custom probably.
A bit of interesting history. The “Honeymoon” came from the ancient celtic practice of the family giving the newlyweds a month’s supply of meade (Honey wine-The honey was supposed to aid in fertility.) The couple was to drink some each day for one moon cycle from the day of the wedding. This was called the Honey Moon.

Answer 4

Perhaps you aren't clear about what happens during a "honeymoon" but there is no conflict between doctrine and the "honeymoon" unless the couple is engaging in relations using contraception.

Answer 5

Contrary to anti-Catholic claims, Catholicism does NOT teach that sex is only for procreation.

"Marriage to be sure is not instituted solely for procreation; rather, its very nature as an unbreakable compact between persons, and the welfare of the children, both demand that the mutual love of the spouses be embodied in a rightly ordered manner, that it grow and ripen. Therefore, marriage persists as a whole manner and communion of life, and maintains its value and indissolubility, even when despite the often intense desire of the couple, offspring are lacking." -- Gaudium et Spes 50

"The sexual activity, in which husband and wife are intimately and chastely united with one another, through which human life is transmitted, is, as the recent Council recalled, "noble and worthy.'' It does not, moreover, cease to be legitimate even when, for reasons independent of their will, it is foreseen to be infertile. For its natural adaptation to the expression and strengthening of the union of husband and wife is not thereby suppressed. The fact is, as experience shows, that new life is not the result of each and every act of sexual intercourse. God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced through the inherent operation of these laws. The Church, nevertheless, in urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law, which it interprets by its constant doctrine, teaches that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life." -- Humanae Vitae 11

Answer 6

As long as there is no birth control involved, the Catholic church would be highly in favour of it. Then, the couple can start having their huge, globally overpopulating, families right away - right on their honeymoon - no time wasted!

Answer 7

The church has no opinion on honeymoons; it just opposes birth control.

To oversimplify things, its stance on sex is that it is only to occur within the context of marriage, with the consent of both partners (duh), and under circumstances that are open to the possibility of procreation.

Answer 8

Why would it? As long as a married couple is open and receptive to life, sex is o.k.

My wife and I have sex and we are not looking to have another child, but if it is the will of God, then who am I to object.

Also, you must understand that sex, between married couples, is one of the greatest gifts - it shows that we are willing to give ourselves to our spouse 100%.

Answer 9

Once your married you can do whatever you want with each other, but the Church is against contraceptives.

Answer 10

as long as they're married, it's okay...