annedavis wrote:

Can one still be an actively practicing Catholic, marry (someone who also doesn't want to have children), and stay Catholic, but not ever have children? I've heard it said that we've essentially procreated enough for a while, as the overabundance of humans on the earth, and as long as one is open to the idea of children, be it through adoption, godparents, or foster care, that suffices. What is everyone else's thoughts on this?

Hello annedavis,

Welcome to the Forum!

Yes, one can, given the scenario in your post. I'd take issue though with whoever said we've procreated enough, Its a basic universal right for couples to procreate, even China with its limit, realize's this.

Peace
Sandy

CCC 1652 "By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory."

    Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said: "It is not good that man should be alone," and "from the beginning [he] made them male and female"; wishing to associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words: "Be fruitful and multiply." Hence, true married love and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day.

...1654 Spouses to whom God has not granted children can nevertheless have a conjugal life full of meaning, in both human and Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice.

So, if you went through the wedding with the intent of not having children at all, and being closed to having children, you would not in effect actually be marrying each other.  If however, you simply did not want children, but you were open to accepting whatever children God gives you regardless, than you would be validly married.  Whether or not you actually conceived children or not would not matter or deal with the validity since many factors can come into why conceptions never take place.

It should be noted though that rendering yourself artifically infertile is gravely sinful. 

However in another perspective, there is such thing as a Josephite marriage, where the couple marries and thus are given the freedom to consumate their marriage at any time without risking sin, but they intentionally do not consumate.  Typically these types of marriages have been introduced when couples have done missionary work together.  Their marriage still serves to help them minister to the people as if they were their own children, and their marriage prevents them from causing any scandal. 

It should be noted as well that while natural resources are in some capacity limited, the primary problem is difficulties in distribution as well as the standard of living of first world countries constantly rising to the point that if the world lived like we did,  it could not be sustained.  Its only on our insistance as to what the standard of living should be that the world population becomes a problem.  But again, please note that if it wasn't for 3rd world countries that need to have growing populations to survive, the human population would be shrinking.  Moreover we are coming to a problem of an aging population.

Honestly I think small families have the potential of being a bigger threat then large ones.  Larger families tend to use less resources per person out of necessity.