The bishop means well but....

Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo has instituted a new marriage prep program for his diocese. Engaged couples have to endure a course based on Theology of the Body and NFP. Bless his heart but I strongly suspect that this will simply lead to Catholic couples going to Vegas or Hawaii, getting married civily and then coming back to church to have their marriage validated. Who really wants to spend 4 to 6 months meeting in the church hall and listening to Fr. drone on about sex that you can't have yet?

Plus, NFP is contraception. Yes, I know there are no chemicals involved but it's supposed to be an emergency measure for short term use, not a lifestyle. And ultimately, by charting periods and testing mucas and avoiding sex during your fertile period you are, no matter how you sugar coat it, deliberately choosing to have sex ONLY when you are least likely to get preggers. That's contraception at heart, if not in mechanics.



Oh, one more thing. Despite the required marriage prep classes Catholic get divorced at the same rate as heretics and the unchurched.