Expert: Fr. Michael - 1/10/2007

Question
My husband and I are Catholic and have been married for 11 years.  His mother is a very "strict" Catholic and has made it clear that because we were married in a Catholic church and are choosing to not have children, we are going to Hell when we die.  

When I first found this site, I originally asked this question in a general religion forum, not realizing I could go right to a Catholic expert.  The reply I got was that no, choosing to not have children will not send us to Hell.  When we relayed this information to my mother in law, she would not accept it because it did not come from a Catholic interpretation of the Bible.

So I would like your input on this question.  Does the Bible say that no matter how we live our lives, if we do not have children we will go to Hell?

Thank you for your response.

Answer
This is a matter on which you should be speaking DIRECTLY to your traditional confessor/spiritual advisor, not to relatives and people on the internet.  If you do not have one, you can locate one in your local area by using the Traditional Catholic Directory at www.traditio.com/nat.htm.