Category Archives: ethics

The Three Fonts of Morality

Posted on 4 July 2018 by Ron Conte

A human act is a knowing choice made by a human person. Every human act is an exercise of free will, making a choice based on knowledge in the intellect. Each choice is an act. All acts are subject to … Continue reading →

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Nuclear Weapons and Catholic Ethics

Posted on 27 June 2018 by Ron Conte

The recent Popes have spoken against nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. They have repeatedly called for total disarmament worldwide. They have also condemned the use and even the possession of these weapons. Second Vatican Council: “Any act of war aimed … Continue reading →

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Which Acts Are Sins?

Posted on 25 June 2018 by Ron Conte

In Catholic teaching, the morality of human acts is determined by three fonts (from the Latin word for sources). An act is a deliberate knowing choice; it is an exercise of free will and reason. Each human act is moral … Continue reading →

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Wifely Obedience in Catholic Teaching

Posted on 23 June 2018 by Ron Conte

True Marriage There are only two types of true marriage before the eyes of God, a merely natural marriage, and the Sacrament of holy Matrimony. Natural marriage was established when Adam and Eve were created, that is, at the beginning … Continue reading →

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On Cooperation with a Contracepting Spouse

Posted on 16 May 2018 by Ron Conte

Suppose that one spouse in a marriage wishes to use contraception, and the other spouse, following Catholic teaching, wishes to have natural marital relations open to life. Can the couple have sexual relations, if one spouse is committing the sin … Continue reading →

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How To Decide Right from Wrong

Posted on 2 April 2018 by Ron Conte

The Catholic Church has certain clear teachings on which acts are moral, and which are immoral. For example, good acts include: prayer, self-denial, and the works of mercy. Bad acts include theft, lying, murder, contraception, abortion, and the various sexual … Continue reading →

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The Two Types of Usury

Posted on 25 March 2018 by Ron Conte

[Exodus] {22:25} If you lend money to the poor of my people who live among you, you shall not coerce them like a collector, nor oppress them with usury. [Psalm 14] (15) {14:1} A Psalm of David. O Lord, who … Continue reading →

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The Validity of Marriage and Procreation

Posted on 23 March 2018 by Ron Conte

Consider the following scenarios: 1. After the couple have been married for some time, the husband commits adultery and runs off with his adulteress. The marriage remains valid, as adultery cannot nullify a valid Sacrament. The innocent spouse cannot remarry. … Continue reading →

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Q. 4: Can Catholic Spouses use Masturbation in the Context of Natural Intercourse?

Posted on 21 March 2018 by Ron Conte

No, they cannot. First, masturbation is intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. The CCC defines masturbation as: “the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure.” [1] This sexual act is non-marital, non-unitive, and non-procreative. It … Continue reading →

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Q. 3: Is it Moral for the Wife to climax outside the Natural Marital Act?

Posted on 21 March 2018 by Ron Conte

Neither the husband, nor the wife, may act, in any way, so as to deliberately climax outside of natural intercourse. This doctrine was taught by Pope Pius XII in his speech to the Address to the Second World Congress on … Continue reading →

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New book: The Catholic Marriage Bed

Posted on 17 March 2018 by Ron Conte

My latest book is now available in Kindle format: The Catholic Marriage Bed: Revised Edition [Nov. 2019]. The print edition should be available sometime next week, hopefully. This book addresses a single question in ethics: Which sexual acts are moral … Continue reading →

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Common “Ends Justify the Means” Arguments

Posted on 28 February 2018 by Ron Conte

If you ask any well-informed Catholic, “Does the end justify the means?” they will usually answer correctly: No, it does not. And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “the end does not justify the means” exactly twice (1753, … Continue reading →

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